Everyone Makes Mistakes Part 2: A Girl and Her Lion
by Scraps the Fool
Summary: Four Months after the "Pearl Incident", Connie is coping with the loss of Steven. However, when an evil force arrives to finish what it started, it is up to this young woman, her lion, and the surviving Crystal Gems to stop this threat and save the Universe.
1. The Interview

Original Idea by: Scraps

Collaboration work with: Cleverun

Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 1: Interview with a False-Gem

[*]

**Dr. Singmud Fraud's office, present day**

"…and how has the experience changed your life Mrs.…Universe?" Dr. Fraud in said as he looked up from his clipboard.

"I…don't know sometimes." Connie said as she cupped her hands together, "To me it feels like hours when I know that it has been months since…."

"That day?" Dr. Fraud responded.

"Yeah…that damned day…"

Meet Connie Maheswaran Universe, this is a girl who was known to enjoy reading books, playing tennis, and trying to fit in with everyone else. A few years ago, she encountered a young boy named Steven. As the two began to grow into adulthood, their relation began to grow as well. This eventually led to the night that changed everything forever. One little mistake led to Connie becoming pregnant to Steven's child. Despite what had happened, a far more sinister plan was in motion, a plan that led to the death of Steven and the transferring of his powers to Connie.

"Do not worry Carrie, seeing how you have been managing this; I think you will be just fine." Dr. Fraud then stood up and quickly escorted the young Gem out of the room, slamming the door behind her. As Connie looked at the clinic door, she made an irritated grunt as she began to walk to the large temple in the distance.

It has been four months since that fateful week. With Harold Smiley's death, the management of Funland was given to Lars's dad to manage. Connie walked past the "It's a Wash" carwash, stopping to examine the abandoned structure. As she placed her hand on one of the cracked walls, she heard the sound of laughter and turned to the source of that sound. As she did, she saw a young boy with curly brown hair, spraying his father, a larger man who was balding and had a bit of a tan, with a hose. As the two of them laughed in joy, they looked to Connie and waved at her. Connie's eyes poured out with Tears as she saw the sight.

"_Perhaps this is all a dream and all I need to do is wake up. Then everything will be back to normal_" Connie thought to herself as she rubbed her eyes. But as she looked up, the boy and his father where gone.

Connie sighed as she continued to walk to the temple, not noticing the large growling creature that was following her. As she reached the beachside, Connie stopped and began to look around. As she slowly turned her head, she heard a large roar from behind her and quickly turned to defend herself, only to find her back on the sandy beach and a large pink animal licking her face. It was lion, the Gem animal that was known for doing weird things and for saving Connie's life. As Lion continued to lick her like a dog, Connie could help but laugh.

"Okay! Okay! Down boy!" Connie laughed as she pushed Lion off "I am happy to see you too."

Lion then sat up and groaned at his master before noticing Connie crouched before him. As Lion tilted his head in semi-concern, Connie then pounced at the Gem beast, trying to knock the creature down in a pointless effort. As she locked her hands around his mane, Lion stood up and began to walk up to the Temple. When they were at the doorstep, lion shook Connie loose from his mane, dropping Connie with a thud.

"Thanks a bunch Lion." Connie said sarcastically as Lion replied with a growl.

As Connie walked to the door, she looked up to the temple. It has been months and yet, she still is not used to the idea of living with the Crystal Gems, let alone living in the same place that...no, she knew the responsibilities outweighed the fears. Not to mention with the possibility of Diamond making a move, this was the only option to ensure proper protection.

"Today is the day lion" Connie said to the creature beside her, "Today, I become a Crystal Gem."

Lion looked at Connie with a bland expression a he turned and jumped up the temple. As Connie watched him climb to the top, Connie looked at her hand on the knob, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

[*]

**Gem Colony Venatio****, present day**

"GET MOVING GEMS! WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME!" A large six armed Gem with a turquoise stone over his eyes yelled as she looked up to the sky.

Since the Gem civil war, colonies like this were used to house and protect Crystal Gems that lost their planets to war or disasters. Venatio, a Gem Colony in the Thesia System, was known for not only being the largest of the Colonies in the Universe, but also for housing billions of Gems. However, this Colony's purpose was to be tested. The Leader of the Colony, a Gem known as Turquoise, with the help of her Gems Azurite, Serpentine, and Iolite, was already making preparation to evacuate as many Gems as possible while at the same time use the colony's defenses to repel the incoming invasion.

"Azurite, are you there?" Turquoise said as she armed a row of light-cannons, "How are the defenses on the east side?"

"This is Serpentine, Azurite has the west side covered, Iolite has the north, and I have the east side." Serpentine responded in her sister stead "Do you think this will work, we don't even know who is attacking?"

"It will work, my sister." The six-armed Gem said as she heard a bellowing horn and saw the sky turn blood red, "it has to work."

Within moments, the sky filled up with large black clouds, as the clouds floated down to the colony, Turquois saw that they were not ordinary clouds, but groupings of Agate drones, it was at that moment Turquoise realized who was behind this invasion.

Turquoise then turned to a large crystal panel and slammed her hand on it causing a large alarm to engage followed by the light cannons beside her to target and fire at the clouds. As the cannon's blast hit one of the clouds, it dispersed into thousands of Agates, which began to swarm the Colony. Turquois watched in horror as she saw Gem after Gem torn apart by the merciless robots, not noticing the figure that quickly stabbed her in the lower back with a Katar. Turquois let out a shout of agony as she summoned her long swords, only to stumble over from the stab to her spine. As she looked, up at her assailant, a white haired Gem with two Katars and a sinister grin on her face, she recognized her as Zirconia, one of Diamond's personal servants.

She tried to move away from the Gem before, but her legs were paralyzed, preventing her from escaping. As she tried to strike Zirconia, two Agates quickly appeared and grasped her arms, electrocuting her and forcing her to subdue. As the Agates lifted her in front of the white haired Gem, she traced her hand over Turquois's Gem and made a smile.

"This one will do, her Vitae is quite powerful." Zirconia then turned to the doorway behind them "Isn't it…Father?"

Turquoise watched in horror as a tall Gem entered the room. His hair silver like a blade, his eyes piercing and cold, and his very presence created a feeling of fear and inferiority. It was Master Diamond, once the leader of the Crystal Gems and now the Leader of Obsidian, the so-called "New Universal Order." As he looked at the Gem before him, he turned to Zirconia and struck her across the face. As she turned back to him, she made a small smile.

"I mean, Master." Zirconia replied as she wiped blood from her mouth.

Diamond then turned back to Turquoise and clasped his hand on her face, moving her head around to examine her features.

"I am impressed with how you have handled things so far Turquoise, you are still as calculated and intelligent as the day you joined the Guardians and your dedication to the defense of this colony and its inhabitants is admirable. However, that does not change the fact that I am still disappointed still by your treason to our order."

Turquoise shook Diamond's grip as she glared at the Gem Master before her, "I'm the traitor? What about you "Master" Diamond? What do you call all of this? What do you call the mass slaughter of the very Gems who stood by the ideal of protecting the Universe?"

Diamond then placed his arms behind his back as he walked over to the window. As he looked at the Gems fighting against his army of Agates, he replied to his captive.

"Restoration my Gem, I call it restoration"

Turquoise looked at the Master in confusion, as she did, Diamond turned back and once again stood before her, his hands still behind his back.

"In the millennia we have spent protecting the Universe, my siblings and I formed the Crystal Guardians. However, as time went on we developed our own ideals of how we should protect the Universe. Rose wanted to help everyone and everything, and Topaz wanted to protect the Universe only from Gem based threats. While their intentions were pure, they did not see the truth as I did. For you see, the true threat is not what is attacking the Universe but the Universe itself."

Turquoise looked at Diamond in confusion, "So that's your plan? You're going to destroy the Universe?"

"No Turquoise," Diamond replied, "I am going to save it."

Diamond then waved his hand and the Agates released Turquoise, dropping her to the floor. As the Gem tried to crawl to her weapon, a katar pinned her hand to the floor. As Turquois yelped in pain, she used her free hands to remove the katar. However, as soon as she tried to throw it at Diamond, the Agates quickly grabbed her again and held her to the wall. Diamond then turned and stood before her, shaking his head slightly as he focused his attention on Zirconia, who was deactivating the cannons.

"Why are you doing this to us?" Turquois asked weakly to Diamond, "Why destroy us?"

"Because you have become corrupt." Diamond replied, "To ensure that order is restored in the Universe, it must be maintained by those who will never tire, who will never go hungry, and those who will never say no. This is why you need to be replaced; you have the same fault that the rest of the species in this universe carry: You have free will."

Diamond turned to Turquoise and then waved his hand. As he did, an Agate drone flew into the room with a Gem in grasp. This Gem had blue skin and hair that was wrapped in a scarf hood. As the Agate released him, the Gem turned to see Turquois pinned to the wall with a look of horror and then she turned around to see Diamond and Zirconia. He then summoned a pair of chakrams and pounced at the Master, only to be suddenly struck into a wall by a large Diamond Mace. As Diamond dispersed his mace, he called the Agate who brought her and gestured to the Gem. The Agate then scanned the Gem and turned to its creator.

"[GEM IDENTIFIED….IDENTIFICATION: IOLITE…..CLASSIFICATION: PERTURBATIO…..GEM TYPE: ASCITUS….WEAPON TYPE: CHACKRAMS….THREAT LEVEL: MODERATE]"

Diamond then raised his hand, lifting the Gem up from the ground and towards him. As he stared into the eyes, he raised his hand up to the Gem in a clenching motion.

"Diamond wait!" Turquoise shouted at the Master, halting his actions to focus his attention of the six-armed Gem, "Don't hurt him, it's me you want, you are here because you are after Master Topaz are you?"

Diamond turned to face Turquoise and lowered his hand, Iolite now floating behind him as he spoke to the Gem before him.

"I am surprised you realized my intentions so quickly. Yes, I am here because you were the last Gem to converse with them before they disappeared. Now you will tell me my sibling is hiding. If you do not comply, I will kill Iolite and then rape you."

Turquoise hesitated before lowering her head in defeat; she then took a deep breath and then raised her head to lock eyes with Diamond.

"They are at the Mendax Colony." She replied softly, "Now release Iolite and leave my colony…please."

"Of course, I will release Iolite…" Diamond replied as he turned to the Gem before him, raising his hand again, slightly clenching it. "…from his physical bonds."

As Diamond unclenched his hand, Iolite's limbs and head exploded, followed by his torso. Turquoise screamed in anger and agony as she watched Diamond lift up Iolite's Gem from the ground. As soon as he did, an Agate drone carrying a small silver pod with a hole in it appeared. Diamond then planted the Iolite into the pod's hole. As he did, the pod began to hover into the air and glow blue before beginning to take shape. Turquoise watched in horror as the Gem before her was transformed into a Agate before her very eyes. She also realized that the Agate was not just a simple war droid, but was a machine powered by the Vitae of a fallen Gem. As the new Agate hovered down in front of Diamond, its three lenses lit up and it spoke to its new master.

"[AGATE MODEL 1,243,656.49 ONLINE…SYSTEMS: ACTIVE…..WEAPONS: ONLINE…PRIMARY MISSION: LOCATE AND APPREHEND ROGUE GEMS…SECONDARY MISSION: ACQUIRE VITAE ….PRIMARY MISSION STATUS: GEMS LOCATED…ACTION: APPREHEND AND SUBJUGATE]"

"Welcome Agate, at this moment you will follow protocol 11-8 along with your primary mission. There are three other Gem leaders on this colony, apprehend them and follow secondary mission if they are deceased."

The Gem saluted as he hovered near Zirconia, who laughed in response to the Gemdroid before jumping out the window with her new Agate behind her.

"You now see Turquoise, that this is the new age of peace." Diamond said as he walked over to his captive once more. "Iolite has now become something greater. A machine that will never tire, always obey, and show no remorse to his targets, that is how you restore order. Now then, its time I taught you the price for treason."

Turquoise replied to this by spitting in Diamond's face who responded by striking her in the face. As he finished, he scanned her with his eyes and then looked to the Agates restraining her before giving them a new command.

"Strip her."

[*]

**Crystal Training Room, present day**

Connie fell on her back again; this was the ninth time now. As it has been for weeks now, Connie was trying to unlock her full Gem potential. Although she could summon her weapon, she still needed to learn how to use it properly. Therefore, Garnet prepared a specialized training room for her to practice. As the Gem rose off the floor, she looked to her opponent, a hologem of a Agate drone, which quickly charged at her. Connie dodged the attack and slashed off one of its arms, causing the hologem to dissipate. As Connie sat on the floor, exhausted by the training, she noticed Garnet walking up next to her, with Amethyst behind.

"Your abilities are getting better Connie," Garnet said in her stoic tone to the new Gem "but it seems like you are still holding back."

Connie looked to the floor and sighed, "I just fell like battling a Agate would not be enough, I mean, can't I fight one of you guys?"

Amethyst smiled "Yeah Garnet, let's become Sugulite! She could give Connie a nice workout. Remember how exhausted Perrr…." Amethyst stopped mid-sentence, remembering about the whole fiasco four months ago, Amethyst looked at a ringing expression at Connie, who was still looking at the floor before she stood up to face her Gem sisters.

"Set up a new hologem." Connie said in a determined but serious tone "this time though, use Pearl's."

As Garnet and Amethyst looked at each other, they then looked back to Connie and Garnet waved her hand. As she did, a hologram of Pearl appeared before the three Gems. This hologem was used by Pearl as a training dummy, and at one point, an unsuccessful substitute for Pearl.

"[DO YOU WISH TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT?]" The hologem exclaimed in a dramatic fashion.

Connie nodded as she brought up her sword and shield. As she did, the hologem summoned a spear, and lunged at its opponent. Connie quickly dodged the attack as she brought the sword down onto the hologem, only for it to roll out of the way and throw its spear at Connie. As Connie blocked the attack, the hologem kicked the shield, hitting Connie in the face and dropping her to the floor. Connie rose up; her nose trickling blood a she brought up her blade one more.

"Is that all you got?" Connie shouted at the hologem "I had more of a challenge with the Agate hologem."

"[INITIATING ADVANCED ATTACK MODE]" the hologem replied as it lunged into the air, summoned two spears, and lunged again at Connie. This time, Connie blocked the attack and pushed forward, knocking the hologem back. The hologem flipped to recover as it shot one of its spears at Connie. As she blocked this, she felt a sharp slash in her back. When she turned to the source of the attack, she was attacked again. The pain of the attacks caused Connie to lose grip of her weapons and drop to the floor. As she looked up, she saw the hologem walking towards her, brandishing a bloody spear and a cold stare.

As the hologem stood above her and was about to thrust its spear, a large gauntlet blew the head off the hologem, causing it to stagger and then dissipate. Connie looked to Garnet, who had just saved her life and now was over the new gem. Her arms crossed over her chest and her face a stoic expression.

"Perhaps we should stick to the Agate for a while."

"Yeah…" Connie said, "By the way, can a Gem die from blood loss, because I am loseing a lot of blood right now."

Garnet sighed as she lifted the Gem into her arms. As she carried the Gem about of the room, Amethyst trailed next to them. Telling Connie about how badass she was facing the Holo-Pearl. As Connie listened, she felt that in the back of her mind that the reason she lost the fight was not because of the hologem's power.

[*]

**Gem Colony Venatio's Hangar Bay****, present day**

Time was not in the favor of the Crystal Gems. As the groups rushed to the hangars in hope that a ship was still operational, there was the issue with dealing with the aftermath. Luckily, there were reports of a colony on a planet called Terra that housed several Gems and one of the Tribunal. As of now, it was up to Azurite and Serpentine to lead the surviving Gems off the colony. As they ran through the tunnels they could hear the fighting above them, the sound of Gems clashing with their mechanical replacements, the wounds of Gems screaming as they were ripped apart. Azurite suddenly placed her hands over her head and slumped down into a ball, the horror of what was happening was too much for the blue Gem. Serpentine tilted her head to the other Gems to have them move on, as she would stay behind to help her Gem sister.

"Azurite, it's going to be okay. We are going to get out of this, you will see. However, we need to get to the ship. It's our only chance to escape." Serpentine said as she looked into Azurite's eyes.

Azurite took a deep breath as she stood up, continuing to walk with her sister into the hanger. Inside the hanger was a large ship. Unlike other Gem ships, this ship was made of metal. It also had an insignia in the side that looked like an Ingot with wings and a shield in the center. Under the Ingot, were the words "OLYMPUS MONS." As Serpentine and Azurite approached the ship, they heard a large groaning followed by a bigger explosion. They knew that if they did not launch now. There was no way to escape.

"Turquoise, this is Serpentine; the _Olympus Mons_ is ready to launch. What is your status?"

There was nothing but silence on the other end. As Serpentine looked at Azurite, she tried another.

"Iolite, are you there, we need to leave now. Respond."

Nothing, it was perfectly clear that they were gone. Serpentine clenched her hands before approaching the bridge of the ship. There on the bridge, Gems had already prepared to leave.

"Is the ship ready to launch?" Serpentine asked another Gem, a gem in a blue duster with a face bandana by the name of Spinel.

"She is all set to go." Spinel stated before noticing outside the window "Oh shit!"

As Serpentine looked out the window, she saw several Agate Drones flying into the Hanger. Serpentine then stormed up to the controls and pressed several buttons. When she did, the panels came to life, as well as a computerized face.

"[Greetings, I am A.L.L.O.Y. I am the Super Computer to the Metalia Ranger ship _The Onlympus Mons_. How may I help you today?]"

"Engage hostile defense system." Serpentine replied.

"[Command accepted, Beginning hostile defense.]"

Suddenly, the ship began to vibrate as several turrets emerged from the sides of the ship, firing at the Agates who were flying around the ship. As Serpentine sighed in relief, she noticed a white haired Gem running from the Agates. Before she could do anything, she saw Azurite running out of the ship, obviously intending to save the Gem.

"AZURITE WAIT!" Serpentine shouted as she chased her sister. However, she then saw the white haired Gem kneeling on the ground with Azurite over her, trying to comfort her. As Azurite saw a Agate charge at her, she created a blue bubble, blocking the attack and shielding her and the other Gem from harm. As Serpentine approached the two Gems, she then noticed that the kneeling Gem was dripping black fluid from her face. As Serpentine realized who she was, she tried to warn Azurite.

"AZURITE, GET AWAY FROM HER! SHE IS ONE OF DIAMOND'S-"

*shunk*

Serpentine watched in horror as the white haired Gem stabbed a katar into Azurite's stomach. Breaking the bubble and causing Azurite to kneel in pain.

"Didn't Turquoise ever teach you not to trust strangers?" Zirconia said while bending down to the blue Gem.

As Azurite fell over, she dissipated into a single blue Gem. As soon as she did, one of the Agates hovered near her.

"[GEM INCAPACITATED…COMMENCING GEM AQUIRENCE.]"

The Agate then opened his hand, causing the Gem to lift up into the air and float towards the Gemdroid. Serpentine, still upset by the attack, quickly rushed over, and grabbed Azurite's Gem. As the two tugged the Gem, a thought hatched into Serpentine's brain. Such an action would be considered forbidden as unlike Gem fusion, the effects were permanent. Nevertheless, it would be better than the alternative.

"Forgive me Azurite." Serpentine said softly as she pulled the Gem close to her chest. As she did, she whispered a single phrase.

"_Sed et nos unum sumus!_"

As soon as she did, both Azurite's Gem and Serpentine began to glow in a bright light. Suddenly, there was a large pulse, knocking the Agate and Zirconia back and leaving a large cloud of smoke where Serpentine once stood. As Zirconia peerd into the smoke cloud, she saw something standing there. She then realaized that the being was a Gem, but it was far different then what she had been facing before.

"[NEW GEM IDENTIFIED…IDENTIFICATION: ERROR….CLASSIFICATION: ERROR….GEM TYPE: ERROR….WEAPON TYPE: HAND TO HAND…THREAT LEVEL: ERROR...ACTIVATING EM-*

Before the Agate could respond, it was cut into ribbons by a blurred flash, Followed by a large cut into Zirconia's chest. As the Gem stumbled in shock, she looked back to the cloud, only to find in its place was a Gem. She could see that it looked like Azurite, but with Serpentine's colors and a different wardrobe. She also saw that the Gem's hands had large sharp claws on them.

"Wha-What are you?" Zirconia asked in horror.

"You can call me Thorn, Bitch!" Thorn replied as she walked towards her opponent.

Zirconia called for move Agates, but as they attacked the Gem, they were too slow to deal with Thorn.

"So this is the might of Diamond?" Thorn said with a laugh as she cut down Agate after Agate, "I am quite disappointed that he is-"

"I am what?" a voice shot out, drawing the attention of the two Gems.

There was Diamond, standing before the two Gems with two items in hand. In one hand was his Mace, drenched with blood. While in the other was a head. As he threw the head towards Thorn, she saw that head was missing a large Gem over its eye. Thorn, being a fusion of tow Gems who worked with the head's original owner, knew exactly who's head this was.

"Turquoise?" Thorn replied as she saw the head roll towards her and stop.

Thorn then gritted her teeth as tears rolled down her face. She then screamed a bloody roar as she leaped at Diamond, who simply dodged her attack and wacked her in the back with his mace. As Thorn recovered, both of them head the sound of engine charging as they turned to see the _Olympus Mos_ begin to take off. Thorn then jumped into the air, leaping over Agates and then sinking her claws into the hull of the ship. Diamond watched as Thorn entered the ship door and watched the ship launch out of the Colony. He then noticed Zirconia limping towards him.

"I did not expect that they could do that." Zirconia said as she began to cover her wounds "Don't worry Master, we will go after them."

"No you will not." Diamond said as he looked at the ship flying away. "You will not because I know where they are going. In the meantime, I think it is time you returned to Terra. There is a Gem we need to capture."

Zirconia looked with anticipation "Does this mean I can kill them Master?"

Diamond placed his hands behind his back "As long as you do not kill the Furem, I do not care what happens to the rest of them. You may do as you please."

Zirconia gave a large grin as she waved her hands. As she did, the destroyed Agates reassembled and flew out of the hangar doors. As Zirconia began walking out of the hanger, she was stopped by Diamond's voice, issuing her an additional command before he vanished.

"…and do not forget to bring Vestibulum with you."


	2. The Invasion

Original Idea by: Scraps

Collaboration work with: Cleverun

Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 2: Invasion of the Gem Snatchers

[*]

**Maheswaran Household, present day**

It was quiet at the Maheswaran household; Connie was eating dinner with her family as she normally would. She always found a sense of peace when it came to her family that no matter what had happened they were there for her. After the whole crisis was over, Connie's dad, once a security guard named Doug, was now the chief of security for Mayor Dewy. As for Connie's mother Priyanka, she found a job as an assistant manager at Fish Stew Pizza. Knowing that they could not move away due to Connie's new problems, they decided, much to their concern, to stay for Connie's sake.

"So Connie," Priyanka said as she passed a bowl of mashed potatoes to her daughter. "How did your training go today?"

"You mean her death wish…" Doug muttered under his breath.

Priyanka glared at her husband before exclaiming his name. Doug quickly rose his hands up in defense.

"May I remind you that this is our daughter we are talking about, Our PREGNANT daughter? Who thinks it alright to train a pregnant woman in combat, A bunch of psychopaths that's who!"

Priyanka scoffed and pointed at Doug "They know what they're doing Doug, they would not be having Connie go through this without a good reason. Why are you so cynical about this?"

Doug slammed his hands on the table in anger "Have you forgotten what happened to that Steven boy and his father? Those same Gems butchered them into pieces. Not to mention tormented our daughter, or have you thought the therapy was just for fun?"

Connie, ignoring the yelling of her parents, got up from the table and walked into her bedroom. As she sat on the bed and sighed, she could still hear the sound of her parents arguing with each other. Connie then slumped onto her bed with her face to the ceiling. As she did, she looked down at her stomach, which was now slightly bulging. It was amazing how Connie was dealing with this; even before her transformation into a Gem, she had no symptoms of pregnancy. Not even morning sickness, it almost as if she was not pregnant at all.

"I'm sorry to put you through all of this." Connie said to her child, "I never intended to put you through this entire gunk. I just wish Steven were here, it would make things so much easier."

With that, she closed her door, slipped into her pajamas and climbed into her bed to fall asleep; hoping that tomorrow would be a better day.

[*]

**Beach City Exterior, present day**

The small town of Beach City was quiet, the majority of the small community was asleep, and the streets were lifeless. Little did the citizens know, that watching above on a rooftop were two figures in grey cloaks. As they both gazed upon the city, the figure on the right, a white haired woman, unhooded herself and knelt down to survey her location.

"You know I would think that our Gem sisters would choose a place that was more…lively." Zirconia said with a tone of disappointment as she watched a young boy leaving the arcade with a large bag of tokens. "Then again you didn't have much of a say in the matter didn't you?"

The hooded figure responded with a light nod. Zirconia then noticed the figures white hands clench. Zirconia rose up and faced the figure, patting her hand on the figure's shoulder in a comforting and sarcastic manner.

"Oh come on, think of this as somewhat of a reunion." Zirconia chuckled, "Besides, I will finally meet your other half, it should be quite the family reunion, won't it…Mother?"

As Zirconia walked away from the figure and jumped off the rooftop, the figure turned to the direction of the temple. She then unhooded herself and gazed upon the temple with a cold, black shot stare.

"Yes," Vestibulum said sternly as she felt obsidian tears roll down her face. "Yes it will."

[*]

**Mayor Dewy's Office, present day**

Mayor Dewy was sitting in his office as usual, on the phone with someone called "Lucy Lead Pipe." A picture of his family say beside him as he unbuckled his trousers and continued to listen to the tranny on the phone, showing that this man had no sense of respect nor morals. As he asked her questions about her "organic pipe," he heard a knock on the door.

"Hey uh, could you come back later" Dewy said as he covered the phone with his hand, "I am having an important meeting with a representative and I cannot be disturbed….for the next ten minutes."

"Sir, it is urgent," a woman's voice said from behind the door, "It's someone saying that they work for "Master."

Dewey's stomach sunk, without hesitation, he hung up the phone and buckled up his trousers.

"S-s-s-send her in." Dewey said nervously.

As the door opened and Zirconia walked in, two Agate drones followed behind her. As she sat in the chair across from Dewey, the Agates hovered next to him. Dewey was now sweating bullets, knowing that this might end in a way he did not want it to end.

"Hello Mr. Mayor," Zirconia said warmly, "I am glad to see that you were able to break away from your infidelity to make time for me."

"Of c-c-course Zirconia" Dewey said with a shudder, "Now, we built that vault for the Master already, right where he asked us to, and I have been keeping track on the Gem's actions and movements as I always have. Is there anythi-

"Shut up!" Zirconia barked to the Mayor "You know why I am here; the Master would like to thank you for your hospitality for the past few years, for allowing him to proceed with his plans without obstructions and for providing hospitality for our troops.

Dewey smiled as he wiped his head with his sleeve. However, as he looked up and saw the door open again; his smile vanished as he saw Zirconia now crouched on the desk before him, her hand moving to the base of his neck.

"But I am afraid that your uses to our cause have run their course, and Master does not like to leave behind any…loose ends."

Dewy began to panic, "Wait Zirconia, I still have money and power. I know many people who you could use as servants. Governors, Generals, anyone he wants. Please, I have been so loyal to him. I did everything he asked me t-"

*crack*

Zirconia watched as Dewey's head fell onto the desk, smashing his family picture.

"I know you did," Zirconia said mockingly, "But just like Master said, in a game of chess, you must sacrifice the pawns to win."

As she let go of Dewey's body, she pushed his lifeless corpse aside and sat down onto his desk. Relishing the thought of controlling this city, she looked to the Agate's beside her.

"Go and assemble the others," Zirconia said with a smile "rip this city apart until you find the girl. Then bring her to me, alive if possible."

The Agate's nodded as they hovered out the doorway. As they did, Zirconia tuned her chair around and gazed out into the sleeping city, knowing that in a few minutes, it would be time to walk it up.

[*]

**Maheswaran Household, present day**

Connie woke up to the sound of banging, as she rose up from her bed, she quickly put on her coat and walked towards the door. As she was about to open the door, she heard her parents talking from the other side. They seemed to be talking to someone else.

"Look, just tell us why you need to speak with our daughter?" Doug said in a concerned tone, "I am a police officer and I work for Mayor Dewey, I am sure whatever my daughter did is a misunderstanding.

"[YOUR DAUGHTER HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH THEFT AND HIGH TREASON…THIS UNIT ADVISES YOU TO ALLOW THIS UNIT TO COMPLETE IT'S DIRECTIVE…FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL LEAD TO FORCEFUL ACTION BY THIS UNIT.]"

Connie recognized the voice of the "guest", it was the same voice as that strange robot she fought to the Tribunal Temple long ago. As she opened her door by a crack to look onward, she saw her father in the hallway, blocking the Agate drone from moving on.

"But you still haven't told me what she stole!" Doug said to the Agate, "Do you even have proof that she stole anything? Do you even have a warrant?"

The Agate's lens switched to a yellow color as it stared at the human blocking its path "[THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING ORGANIC…COMPLY WITH THE SEARCH OR THIS UNIT WILL USE FORCEFUL ACTION.]" then the Agate tilted its body, noticing the small eye peeking out from the door. Doug then turned as well, seeing his daughter watching from beyond. Choosing his actions carefully he mouthed the words "run" and football tackled the Agate. Connie was about to charge in when she heard her mother's scream, followed by two more Agates entering the hallway, one of which had the body of her mother pinned through the chest.

As Connie screamed, Doug rose up and pulled his baton from his belt, knowing that his preparation for any form of attack would finally pay off.

"Connie! Get to the Gems and get out of here! GO!" Doug shouted as he struck the Agates, allowing enough time to let his daughter escape.

Connie quickly shut the door and locked it; she then grabbed her dresser and pushed it in front of the door to block it. As soon as she unlocked the door, she heard her father's screams followed by a large wet thud. At that moment, Connie froze in horror, crouching down with the realization that her parents were now dead. As she felt tears roll down her face, she regained focus as she heard the sound of the Agate's trying to break down the door. Connie quickly jumped on her bed and opened her window. As she squirmed through and attempted to climb down the wall of her house, her hand slipped and she fell onto the ground below. As she lay on her back disoriented by the fall, she saw three Agates hovering above her. She tried to summon her weapon, but it was no use, she was too disorientated to concentrate.

"[CONTACTING MASTER ZIRCONIA…THE GEM THIEF HAS BEEN CAPTURED…THIS UNIT WILL TAKE THE GEM THIEF TO MASTER ZIRCONIA AND MASTER VESTIBULUM….THE OTHER UNITS WILL PROCEED TO SUBJUGATE THE ORGANICS AND LOCATE THE OTHER GEMS.]"

Connie tried to resist their grasp but was too disoriented to fight it. As the Agate lifted her up, Connie vison blurred before everything turned to black.

[*]

Connie woke to the sound of panicking voices. As she came to, she saw she was moving toward the City Hall. As she looked around, she saw in horror as hundreds of Agates were breaking into homes and rounding up the citizens. Buildings and homes were ablaze and destroyed. There were bodies all over the streets. Connie saw as a young boy known as Onion was sitting next to his father's corpse as an Agate came towards him.

[ORGANIC, PLEASE STAND UP AND RETURN TO THE GROUP…FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL LE-]

Onion suddenly pounced onto the Agate's head, Connie watched in horror as the Agate simply fired a red laser from its lens, blowing off Onion's head and causing his twitching body to fall next to his father. The Agate hovered away without remorse, dragging the bodies of Onion and his father behind them.

As Connie choked at the sight, her attention returned to the now present City Hall. As Connie was brought into the building, she could see Agates and crystal technology everywhere. As Connie glanced down a hallway, she saw people lined up at a table, under the watch of Agates, as they were forcing citizens to build strange looking pods.

Connie was then brought into the office of the late Mayor Dewey, whose office was now occupied by his immanent successor, Zirconia.

"Hello Connie, it's nice to finally meet you." The white haired Gem said to her captive as she walked up to her, "Do you like what I have done to the place? I think I have done a grand job, don't you?"

Connie gritted her teeth at Zirconia before spitting in her face; this resulted in a sharp slap in the face by Zirconia.

"I was told that you humans were lacking in the concept of manners." Zirconia said while wiping her face, "It doesn't matter though, once The Master deals with you it won't make a difference. However, if you tell me the location of Garnet and Amethyst, I might make sure your trial is painless."

"Why did you attack Beach City?" Connie asked as she tried to release herself from her Agate captor, "Why enslave all of them? WHY KILL MY FAMILY?"

Zirconia smiled as she bent down to whisper into Connie's ear.

"It's because I need to break you."

As Zirconia moved away from her captive, Connie looked in confusion at what Zirconia meant by breaking her.

"Vitae is the life force of a Crystal Gem, it's the source of a Gem's power and grants them immortality and divine powers." Zirconia said as she looked out the window. "However, The Master knows how to extract it and use it for his own well-being. To extract the most at a time however, the subject must be in the highest state of agony and pain. This is because the process of producing Vitae is much like the production of endorphins, once the subject is at a certain level of pain, and suffering, they will be ripe for consumption."

Zirconia then turned to Connie and gave a large grin "Which is why I am giving the job to an old friend of yours." Zirconia then gestured to the door behind them as the Agate made Connie turn to see the figure behind them. "She has been waiting to catch up with you, just like old times."

"No…" Connie whispered as she saw the sight before her.

There standing in the doorway, was a tall gem with a long nose and pale skin. One of her eyes was milky white and scarred while the other was black shot and trickling obsidian fluid. She was wearing a grey and black variant of her original dress but with a back diamond in place of the yellow star. To Obsidian, she was known as Vestibulum, but to the Crystal Gems and Connie she was known as…

"Pearl?"

Pearl looked down at her captive and smiled warmly at her old friend.

"Hello Connie, it's been a while hasn't it? My my, you have grown since the last time we meet."

Connie glared at Pearl while trying to break free of the Agates. She then noticed one of the Agates behind Pearl looked far different from the rest. It was purple and grey and its lens was white with a black dot in the middle. Her attention was brought back to Pearl as the Gem grabbed her face and examined it. Pearl then traced her hand down to Connie's stomach.

"I can sense her Connie." Pearl said with a smile, "I am surprised you haven't been affected by the ailments basic organics endure during such a cycle. It seems as if you were not pregnant at all. Perhaps your body is adjusting to the Gem magic. Just like Steven."

Connie then watched as the purple Agate slowly moved behind Pearl. Pearl then noticed Connie's expression and turned to see the Agate, who then stuck out its tongue before decking Pearl in the face.

"This unit is now authorized to kick your backstabbing ass, bitch!" The agate yelled as it transformed into Amethyst, "GARNET, NOW!"

Just then, there was the sound of a car horn, followed by a loud and violent crash as a large van drove right through the office. It looked like the van that Greg used to own, only that it had a small light cannon attached to the roof. As it stopped inside the building, the back door opened and Garnet jumped out, smashing two Agates onto the floor before facing Pearl and Zirconia.

"Oh look, its mommy." Zirconia said in a mocking tone "Looks like the family is all back together.

"What are you talking about?" Garnet said to the white haired Gem before facing her former Gem sister, "Who is she?"

Pearl responded by pouncing at Garnet, only to be shot back by the light cannon. As Zirconia looked to Garnet and then to Amethyst moving Connie onto the van, she ran out of the hole and began to wave her hands to the city.

"The Gems are here!" Zirconia shouted to the Agates within the city, "Get them!"

The Gems watched in horror as a large cloud of Agates began to swarm towards them like locust. Without another word, the Gem entered the Van and garnet floored it, sending the van through the city hall and out into the streets. Amethyst and Connie looked outside and saw the swarm grow closer and closer. The light cannon was very effective with repelling a few Agates, but it was not enough for an entire swarm.

"Garnet" Amethyst said in a worried tone, "Not that there is any pressure and you can answer at any time but, DO YOU HAVE A BACK UP PLAN?"

Garnet looked back to her Gems before pulling on a rope attached to the ceiling of the van. As she did, the light cannon fell off the van and fell to the ground.

Amethyst looked at the cannon, then the swarm, and then Garnet. "Okay, how about a plan that's not crazy or stupid?"

As Garnet smiled, she touched her palm Gem with her thumb. As she did, the cannon began to glow brightly, pulling in the Agates like a magnet to metal shavings. Suddenly, there was a blinding light and a deafening roar. The ground shook and the van nearly turned over. As Amethyst and Connie looked back, they saw the large funnel cloud of smoke rise up into the air. As the Gems cheered at their victory, Connie gasped as she saw the ruins of Beach city in the distance; she could see the smoke rising from the buildings, thinking about the people that she considered friends and how would they survive. As she watched as the city vanished into the distance. She turned to Amethyst, who gave her a look of both relief and sympathy. Connie tried to speak, but only found herself breaking down into hard sobs. The purple Gem wrapped her hands around her as she looked to the descending road, the smoke filling up the grey skies above, an omen for the terrible force that would come.

[*]

**Unknown Water Planet, present day**

The water was peaceful and tranquil, silent and calm Not a single drop of land was in sight. As the water sat calm and undisturbed, there was a large wake as a swarm of Agates flew across the sky, scanning the ocean below.

"[THIS UNIT WILL CONTINUE TO SEARCH SECTION 11.32. OTHER UNITS WILL SEARCH 332.3, 77, 12, 34.5, AND 7654.3338.]"

Just as the agates began to split up, the water below them suddenly rose up into a huge column. Swallowing the Agates and dragging them to the watery depths below. In the distance, a blue gem by the name of Lapis Lazuli was hiding beneath the water as she watched the spectacle occur. She sighed with relief as she saw the Agates vanish beneath, unaware that she was being watched as well.

Suddenly, she felt a powerful current force her above the water and into the air. As she spun around in the sky, she then saw four Agates surround her. In between them, were a Gem with Grey skin, black, half-shaved hair, and a black suit with a grey triangle in the center, she smiled as she made eye contact with Lapis.

"Who are you?" the water Gem exclaimed as she tried to break free of the Agates, "Are you another Gem sent to capture me?"

The Gem raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Why yes, my name is Onyx, and I am here for you. Master wanted me to specifically you." She said with a small laugh, "Seeing how you single handedly wiped out his forces, I am not surprised."

"Master?" Lapis said in confusion, "What is happening, where is Master Topaz?"

Onyx sniggered as she floated back to her Agates, "She knows nothing doesn't she?" she said to one of them, "Why is she so important again?

"[IDENTIFICATION: LAPIS LAZULI … CLASSIFICATION: PERTURBATIO…..GEM TYPE: TRIBUNALIS….WEAPON TYPE: LIQUID MANIPULATION….THREAT LEVEL: SEVERE…ADDITIONAL INPUT: THIS GEM WAS KNOWN AS THE SECOND IN COMMAND TO MASTER TOPAZ DURING THEIR REBELLION...ERROR:GEM TYPE IS IMPOSSIBLE]"

"I see…" Onyx smiled as she lifted her hands and summoned a onyx sword. She then turned to Lapis and pointed it at her. "Master will definitely be expecting you then, let's not keep him waiting"

Before Lapis could respond, she felt a beam of black energy pierce her chest, causing her to transform into a blue Gemstone. Onyx then floated towards it and clutched it in her hands, as a smile grew on her face; she then felt burning tears streaming down her face. Instantly knowing what that meant, she turned to see Master Diamond standing before her.

"_Præceptor_" the Gem responded as she knelt before him, the Gem of Lapis held out towards him "I have the Gem known as Lapis Lazuli, she will no longer be a threat to your plan."

Diamond took the Gem and examined it; reminded of the trouble she had once caused him millennia ago with the destruction of his Gem Colony known as Atlantis.

"It seems you had found a way to escape my prison." Diamond said to the Gem, "I can see why Topaz took a liking to you and I can also see why you were...Nevertheless, you will find that I will not be so kind, especially to traitors."

Diamond then clenched the Gem and watched the Vitae drain from it into himself, causing the crystal to become opaque. He then placed the Gem into his pocket and lifted his hand into the air, causing the group of Agates, which were submerged into the water below, to shoot up into the sky.

"You have done well with following my tasks Onychinos, you have truly proven your loyalty and efficiency to me."

"Thank you Master." Onyx said as she stood up before the Gemian God before her. "I also believe that my daughter and granddaughter have been failing you?"

Diamond turned to face the sky above him, "There failures have become a problem, not only have they allowed the Vitae of my sister Rose to reincarnate thrice over, but now the little thief has escaped and is now searching for my sibling Topaz."

"That means you will want me to stop them?" Onyx replied as she moved next to Diamond.

As Diamond was about to speak, he paused and placed his hand on his chin. "No, not yet." Diamond said as he looked down to the water below him. "Not until they find Topaz, then you will inform me and then stop them. But before you do, I have one task for you to do first."

"Of course Master." Onyx said with a smile, "What is my task."

Diamond turned to his servant and looked down to her before answering her question with one of his own.

"Do you remember the technique "_Mortalia Larva_?"


	3. The Ghost

Original Idea by: Scraps

Collaboration work with: Cleverun

Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 3: A God and a Ghost

[*]

**Open Road, 1 month later**

Silence, that is what filled the air as the Gem drove on the road. No one spoke or made a single sound other than the occasional sneeze or cough. It had been three days since the attack on beach city, three days since the Gems left the temple and their friends behind to escape Obsidian. Garnet kept her eyes on the road as she drove, making sure that there was not anyone or anything of suspicion following them. The road stretched for miles, passing through forests and fields and small towns. The occasional car would pass by, but it was nothing serious at this time. Garnet looked in the rear mirror at Connie and Amethyst, who were sound asleep. As she looked back to the road, a though continued to linger in her head.

"_Why did that Gem call me mommy?_" she thought to herself, thinking of all of the possibilities. She knew that as a price for being Gems, they could not reproduce like normal creatures, with the only exception being the Gemians themsel-

As soon as that though shot into her head, Garnet felt her hands shake and clench the wheel. She remembered about Pearl's father and what he was known for. However, it made no sense, she never showed any signs of intrusion, let alone conception, unless…

Garnet heard a ping come from the car as she looked down at the fuel needle. She saw it was reaching empty and knew that the van needed to be refueled immediately. Luckily, she saw the sigh for a Gas station a couple miles back, turned into the exit, and arrived at the station.

[*]

**Paul's Gas &amp; Grub, present day**

The Gems sat at the table of the indoor restaurant as their van was fueling up. As before, silence floated between the Gems. The sound of plates clattering and voices talking and laughing surrounded them. Connie looked down at her plate and then back up at the Gems across from her. She saw Amethyst with her head buried between her hands while Garnet had her eyes on the floor.

"Is…is Beach City going to be okay without us?" Connie asked carefully

There was no response, only Amethyst looking up to Connie and shaking her head.

"What happened back there?" Connie asked again, "Is Beach City goin-"

"No it isn't Connie!" Amethyst snapped at the half-gem, slamming her hands on the table. As she did, the restaurant went silent for a moment, staring at the commotion before continuing with their own lives. "Beach City is gone now Connie, and there is no coming back. Do you understand? We can never go back. Diamond has the temple; he has access to our technology, not to mention all those Gems we captured, and now…" Connie watched as tears rolled down the purple Gem's face as she laid her head on the table. "I…I don't know what to do…"

Garnet looked to her Gem sister and placed her hand on Amethyst's shoulder. She then looked to Connie and took off her glasses.

"What are we gon-"

"Just drop it Connie." Garnet said softly as she examined her glasses, "Beach City is gone now, Diamond won and we lost. We have to leave Beach City behind. It is probably not there anymore."

Connie hesitated before continuing. "Listen, I know I am not that good at this Gem stuff, hell, I am not even a real Gem, but we need a plan for were we are going."

A long pause followed, Garnet was about to open her mouth to respond, only to have Amethyst beat her to it.

"Were else is there to go?" Amethyst said with a small scoff, "Diamond has a whole fucking army of Agates and our so-called "Gem sister," not to mention, a batshit insane agenda. Do you really think he is going to stop at Beach City? He will not stop until civilization, as we know it has been destroyed, and even then, he will not stop until the entire Universe is a lifeless husk of his design!" Amethyst was about the slam on the table, but instead slumped back into her seat and began to sob.

"I…I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do." She repeats a third time, holding her head in her hands.

The three Gem's mood seemed to weigh down the restaurant. No one seemed Hungary anymore and apparently doubted whether they were to begin with. Connie looked around at the customers and staff, then back at Amethyst before speaking up.

"In case you had forgotten, my boyfriend was killed by Pearl." Connie said in a gritted tone to the Gem before her, "If you think I am going to just accept that, then you are sadly mistaken."

Connie then sat up and began to walk to the door. Garnet then stood up and faced the half-Gem. "Where are you going?"

Connie stopped as she reached the door before turning to Garnet. "I…I am going to do something. For Steven, it's what he would do."

As Amethyst stood up and walked between the two Gems, she sighed. "Okay Connie, what do you want to do? What is your masterful plan to face a Gemian god of power?"

Connie looked down for a moment, and then, an idea flashed in her head.

"We have to find Topaz."

The two Gems looked at Connie with a look of surprise, Amethyst scoffed as she crossed her arms in disbelief.

"And how should we do that? Do you happen to have a God detector in your back pocket?"

Just then, there was a flash outside and the sound of screaming as the Gems ran outside to see what the ruckus was. There, next to the van, was an exhausted Lion, laying on his side after apparently hauling a large Gemian artifact known as the Wailing Stone. Connie walked up next to Lion and patted him on the head in approval, Lion growled before slumping down in exhaustion.

"Could this be used to find Topaz?" Connie asked as she examined the stone.

Garnet looked at the stone and stroked her chin, "It was designed as a way to send messages. In fact, Topaz used it during the war."

"So is that a yes?" Amethyst asked with a rekindled spirit.

"There is only one way to find out." Garnet said as she placed her hand on the stone and pressed it. This time however, instead of making an ear-piercing screech, a low hum could be heard; this was followed by a rhythm of low tones.

"Well that's new." Amethyst said as she smacked the stone. However, Garnet quickly stopped Amethyst and looked up at the sky.

"What is it?" said Connie, "Is it Topaz?"

"No it is not" Garnet responded as she eyes widened in surprise, "It's a ship."

[*]

**Crystal Temple Catacombs, present day**

Zirconia watched in both amusement and horror as Diamond slammed his body into Lapis's. The water Gem tried to squirm out of Diamond's clutches, but was too weak to break free, she felt the pain of Diamond pumping in and out of her, all she could do was gasp and scream as she felt a new pang of agony flow though her with each thrust. She felt as Diamond's hands clawed into her blue skin. As this act occurred, Zirconia noticed Pearl entering the room, freezing at the sight of Diamond and his new victim.

"Nice to see this happen to someone other than you huh Pearl?" the white haired Gem said to her mother. "Although, I suppose we are next."

Pearl was frozen solid, fixated at the sight before her. What bothered her was not the fact that a Gem was being raped before her, but it was who the Gem was. She remember Lapis Lazuli, the Gem in the mirror, the Gem who tried to use the Earth's water to go home, now here, screaming, and gasping for mercy. As she stood there, Diamond turned to his servant and glared at her. Pearl quickly moved over to Zirconia and continued to watch the act occur.

"What is his reason behind this?" Pearl asked her daughter, "Why is she here?"

Zirconia sighed before leaning herself on the wall, "You knew Topaz, right?"

Pearl nodded.

"That is their daughter. Apparently we aren't the first Gemian spawn to be created."

Pearl looked back a Lapis with a look of shock. It made sense though, how else would a Gem have such power over an element. Only Gemians had that capability.

"And now, Master is turning her into a _Filia Obsianas_, just like you me and Onyx."

At that moment, a large agonized scream was heard as Diamond released within his prey. Then, as she screamed, Diamond grabbed her hair and moved her head to get a clear view of her neck. Pearl and Zirconia watched as Diamond's jaw split open down the middle, opening up and revealing a set of tentacles, barbed sets of fangs and a large barbed tube-like tongue. They watched as Diamond's tongue and fangs sunk into Lapis's neck. Lapis tried to push Diamond off, but her weakened body was of no use. As her cries began to soften and eventually silence. Diamond pulled out of her and then removed his jaws from her neck. As he stood up over Lapis, he placed his hand over her face and gave one command.

"_Excita_!"

The moment he did, Lapis slowly stood up, as she did, she opened her eyes, causing tears of liquid Obsidian to pour down her cheeks and onto the floor. She then looked to her master with blackshot eyes.

"Who am I?" Diamond asked his new servant.

"You are DI, The Old King, Gemian God of Power, Order, and Justice."

Diamond raised an eyebrow in response "Correct, but WHO am I?"

"You are my Master, the one I will serve until death either by my enemy's hand or yours."

Diamond then placed his hand over her chest.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I am a tool to be used by you Master." Lapis said in a toneless voice.

"Correct" Diamond relied as he moved his hand away from the blue Gem. "You will do as I command, if you resist or fail my commands, I will not hesitate to punish you. Is that clear?"

Lapis nodded as she began to grab her attire that was scattered across the room. Diamond watched this for a moment before turning to Pearl and Zirconia, who froze with fear as he approached them. However, before he began to speak or act, the two Gems saw his expression change from anger to surprise before he left the room.

"What was that about?" Zirconia asked Pearl. Wondering what would cause their master to run off like that.

[*]

**Steven's House, present day**

Diamond moved around the house, which was ransacked from the invasion of the Agates. As Diamond examined the home, he had his hand pointed outward, as if he was sensing something. He then stopped just before the Gem door. As he tilted his head slightly, he turned his hand and touched his fingers and thumb together before pulling his hand back. As he did, the doorway opened up and shined a bright pink light before the Gemian.

"So this is where you kept it." Diamond said to himself before entering the light.

Diamond looked around at the pink clouds and swirls of light and energy. In sudden curiosity, he reached into his robe and pulled out a dead flower.

"_Vive_" he whispered to the flower. However, nothing happened.

He scowled at the flower before clenching his fist. As he traveled further, He then saw something in the distance floating towards him. It was small, pink, and look oddly like a whale. As the tiny floating whale buzzed around him, Diamond expression changed to a look of interest as it stopped before him.

"Hello Rose." Diamond said with a tone of annoyance, "I can see that even death cannot restrain your spirit."

The whale blinked for a moment before creating a flashing light. There in place of the whale, was a woman with long curly pink hair, white robes with a star shaped cut in the center, revealing a rose-colored gem, and a face that seemed very familiar to a certain Gem child.

"Hello Diamond." Rose said as she looked up at the Gem towering above her. "Why are you here? Have you come to tell me that you won?"

Diamond's eyes glowed red as she moved closer to her. "No, I came here to tell you how disappointed I am with you and your selfish desires."

Rose raised an eyebrow as Diamond looked down to her. "I am selfish? Me? How was I selfish?"

Diamond turned away from his sister, his hands placed behind his back. "Where do I begin: First, there was the fact that you and Topaz sided against me, giving in to your corruption rather than fight for salvation." Diamond turned to Rose as he gave a look of anger.

"Then, after you fled to Earth, you created a relationship with that Metal Ranger and created a abomination."

"It's "Metalia" Rose corrected Diamond, causing him to twitch. He then moved up to Rose and bent down to her.

"Then let us not forget that you turned my servant agents me and hindered my plans, all for what, to let your spawn live an additional fifteen years?"

"He will be sixteen soon." Rose said with a smile

Diamond gritted his teeth, as he turned around once again "It makes no difference though, although it was clever for you to give that human your powers, it was a wasted effort. I will acquire both your Vitae and Topaz's, and once I do, I can create the order that this Universe deserves. Once I do, no voice will speak without my command, and no…no flower will wilt nor bloom unless I allow it."

Rose tilted her head in curiosity. She then floated over to Diamond and lifted his hand. As she opened his fist, she saw the dead flower in his palm. She then looked up to her brother, who looked at her with emotionless eyes.

"Diamond, you cannot control everything by force. Free will is not a curse or a burden; it is a gift for all life. It is not our decision on whether or not this Universe is corrupt. It is our job to guide it and nurture it." As she touched the flower, Diamond watched as it bloomed with life, turning from a wilted brown to a beautiful pink.

Diamond looked into Rose's eyes, as he did, he felt his chest become heavy, and his mind fade. Rose saw as Diamonds eyes changed from grey and red into white and grey, and smiled at him. Diamond then turned away from his sister and clenched the center of his robe.

"NO! I will not be swayed by your trickery! I destroyed my emotions for a reason Rose!" Diamond exclaimed as she sister floated next to him.

"Not all of them" she said sadly "You told me that if one removes all their emotions, they would become apathetic. You kept the emotions you deemed to be the most effective in your plans."

Diamond looked to his sister with an expression of malice. "That is correct Rose, but there was one emotion that I could never remove from my being. It is the reason why I despise you."

Diamond removed his hand from his chest as he regained his composure. He then turned to his sister; his eyes reverted to back and red.

"Love?" Rose asked

Diamond looked to the ground before looking back to his sister. She could see the hate and rage building up within the God before her.

"I love you, I still do. That is why I hate you. I fell in love with you because of your inability to be controlled. Since we were formed, you rebelled against me and objected me constantly. I could not control you as I could Topaz. You saw me as a brother and not a Master. Even in death, you proved you could not be controlled. However, once I acquire your Vitae from that thief, then I will prove you wrong, and then, I can stop loving you."

Rose looked at her brother as he walked to the door of the room, as he opened it; he heard his sister's voice halt him.

"You never destroyed your emotions Diamond." Rose said to her brother, "After all, how were you able to create this room?"

Diamond responded with silence as he left the room, sealing the door behind him. As he found himself back in the temple, he opened his hand and looked at his flower as it reverted to its wilted state. As Diamond placed it back into his robe, he felt something trail down from his eyes. He wiped it with his hand and looked at it. It looked like a droplet of water that came from his eye.

_He was crying._

At this realization, Diamond twitched in anger before smashing his fist into the wall beside him. He then moved away from then door and walked out onto the balcony of the house, which looked over the ocean before him.

"What I do, I do to save the Universe, I have no choice in the matter. What I do is for the greater good." With that, he reached into his robe, pulled out the flower, and dropped it into the ocean below him, watching it float away before teleporting back to the temple to continue his plan.

[*]


	4. The Hunt: Part 1

Original Idea by: Scraps

Collaboration work with: Cleverun

Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 4: Topaz the Hunted: Part 1

[*]

**United States Pentagon, present day**

In the hallways of the pentagon, a man walked down with an aura of importance. He wore a black suit and a red tie and had black hair and yellow glasses. As he approached a door at the end of the hallway, he could hear commotion from the inside. As soon as he opened the door, he saw thousands of people running around, answering calls, moving around paperwork, and pointing people around the cramped room. In the center of the room was a tall man with grey hair who was wearing a military suit with the word "Manson" over his left breast pocket. By what other people were calling him, he was apparently a General of some sort.

"I want a full surveillance over ground zero; make sure no one goes in or out." He barked at one of the people around him.

"Yes General" one of the lackeys replied, "I also need to tell you that those surveillance drones you sent were destroyed upon arrival."

"DAMN IT!" the general shouted as he slammed his hand into the desk, "Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on over there?"

"Perhaps I can," replied the black haired man as he approached the General, "We should find a much more private place to discuss it though first.

[*]

**General Manson's Office, present day**

As the man and the General stepped into the office, the General walked over to a selection of scotch on the side of the room. As he poured himself a glass and sat down, he took a large swig before speaking.

"Okay buddy, why don't you tell me what is going on?"

The man smiled before clearing his thought and placing a suitcase on the table. He then opened the suitcase up and pulled out various paper and pictures. Some of them portrayed important people in culture and politics as Gems. As the General looked at the pictures, he looked back up to the man with a look of shock.

"Now that I have your attention, allow me to introduce myself. My name is David Facilier, and I am an agent of the Gemian Extermination and Regulation Movement, otherwise known as GERM. It is our job to deal with the activities of these "Crystal Gems" and to deal with them if things go too far."

The General rubbed his hand with his face before taking another swig of scotch. "Why wasn't I informed about you? I am the goddam six-stared General for god's sake. I should have been informed by the President, not some crazy MIB G-man bullshit."

David smiled before looking down at the papers. "I don't care if you were six, seven, or one hundred-stared, as the President is concerned, my people have the higher authority right now. So you can walk out that door and continue playing blinds man's bluff, or you can sit here like a good solder and hear what I have to say."

As the General slumped in his chair, he examined the images before him. He saw a group of women helping a man out of the water while another was punching a shark. He then looked at paintings of various wars and crisis in the past.

"Okay then "Sir," can you tell me what do these pictures have to do with our attack?"

David nodded before pulling out another set of pictures. They were identical to the other copies, but the people inside them were different, they were multiples of color and each one had a Gem on their body and a strange looking weapon.

"What the hell is this?" the General asked before lifting the image of a certain Diamond Gem on top of a balcony.

"It's the truth, General." David replied, "This attack is one of many that have been going on for eons. We believe that these Gems are in an on-going civil war and it had eventually came to earth. We know that the Gem in the image you are holding is one of the leaders and goes by the name of Diamond. The other two, known as Rose and Topaz, have been helping us combat against his attacks. Throughout our world's history, these Gems fought and destroyed each other, while it was our job to surpass the information and re-image it into something else."

David then stood up and walked over to the scotch stand, where he poured himself a glass and sat before sitting back down.

"All the assassinations, all the genocides, all the wars, all the killings and shooting, all of them, all the result a single war that we cannot even begin to fathom." David took a swig of his scotch before placing it on the table. "But here is the kicker; those Gems have an influence in our culture as well. For example, the Gem Diamond inspired Dracula and the legend of the Vampires. Or the fact that the stories of mythology were actually formed by Gem that were perceived as Go-"

"Stop, just stop right there," The General said with his hand raised before standing up and looking at a picture of General MacArthur on the wall beside him. "Now listen here, you may have convinced the President with this bullshit, but you're not convincing me. How do you know that this is all true?"

David smiled before lifting his glass to drink from it. He then reached into his suitcase and planted a manila folder on the table with the words "TO ENTRUSTED EYES ONLY" stamped on the side in black ink. As the General opened it, he saw three profiles inside:

**[GEMIAN EXTERMINATION AND REGULATION MOVEMENT DOCUMENT] Document #3248443781**

**[Warning: This is a record of the profiles of the leaders of the Crystal Gems known as "The Crystal Tribunal" or "Gemians." Please insure that this document is kept with GERM personnel at all times. If GERM personnel are not present or this document is not within a secure perimeter, this document must be destroyed. Failure to comply with commands or failure to secure document(s) or action to reveal said document(s) to civilians or not authorized persons will result in a breach in section 856-23 or the Global GERM act, which can lead to a maximum sentence of 130 years in prison for each offense.]**

**PROFILES:**

**[Profile #1]**

**Name: Diamond**

**Age: Estimated 13+ billion**

**Gender: Male**

**Height: 8 feet, 3 inches**

**Status: active**

**Threat level: Critical**

**Additional notes: Three women accompany Diamond; they are identified as Onyx, Pearl, and Zirconia. Avoid confrontation at all costs.**

**[Profile #2]**

**Name: Topaz**

**Age: Estimated 13+ billion**

**Gender: Unknown**

**Height: 5 feet, 3 inches**

**Status: Unknown**

**Threat Level: Unknown**

**Additional notes: Although they has combated against Diamond, caution should still be used as their motives are still unknown**

**[Profile # 3]**

**Name: Rose Quartz**

**Age: Estimated 13+ billion**

**Gender: Female**

**Height: 5 feet**

**Status: Deceased**

**Threat Level: None**

**Additional notes: We have reason to believe that Rose had created an offspring that resulted in her death. SO far, the whereabouts of the offspring and the father are unknown. UPDATE: Both the offspring and the father have been listed as deceased. UPDATE: Sighting of a girl with brown skin, brown hair, and glasses reported using similar Gem type. It is believed that his girl has a connection to Rose and/or the offspring. Further investigation is required.**

"Why are you showing me this?" the General asked as he placed the document on the table before him.

David sighed before taking a photo of Connie and the Gems in front of a Gas station alongside Lion out of his suitcase and handing it to the General. "We have just received an update that the aforementioned Jane Doe was seen escaping Beach city in a van accompanied by two women who we assume are Gems. They were last seen at a Paul's Gas &amp; Grub where they encountered a pink lion before heading off. Witnesses clam they mentioned something about Topaz and zis location. They also mentioned that they were going to rendezvous with other Gems in an undisclosed location."

Just then, a solder opened the door and stormed right before the General, he immediately saluted as soon as he composed himself.

"Sir, apologies for the intrusion sir, but I need your attention sir."

"At ease son," The General saluted back to his solder, "Now tell me what is the problem."

"Sir, we have just identified a large bogy entering the atmosphere. Our satellites cannot identify it sir, and there are no markings belonging to any armed forces in our books."

The General and David looked at each other before standing up and rushing back into the main room. As they did, they looked on the overhead screen, which portrayed an image of the atmosphere via satellite. The two men watched as a large ship dove into the atmosphere, diving like a burning missile towards the planet.

"Do we know the estimated time of collection and possible location?" the General asked his lakes.

"Yes sir," one of them replied, "It bogy is estimated to crash in about 200 hours. It will also crash in an open field in California, about 3.2500 clicks east of Jane Doe's last location."

The General stroked his chin before turning to the Agent beside him. "I hope the president was right to trust you."

David smiled as a solder handed him his suitcase. He then turned away and out the door. The General turned back to the screen and sighed, "Because god help us, we could use some of that right now."

[*]

**Open Field, present day**

On this grassy noel, a couple was enjoying a picnic with their children. The Parents watched as their children played tag in the cool air and warm sun. Suddenly, there was a small rumbling sound, similar to that of a volcano.

"Do you hear something?" the man said to his wife.

As she shrugged, they noticed their children had stopped playing and were staring up above the parents. When they looked behind them, they say to their horror, a large ship heading straight towards them. Without hesitation, the entire family began running away from the incoming mass of metal.

"This is the reason why I wanted to stay with my mother this weekend." The wife said to her husband as they got in their car, just in time to watch the ear-shattering explosion as the ship crashed into the field. Without hesitation, the family pulled their car out of the park and drove off, passing by a large van with a pink lion sitting on top.

The van stopped right in front of the wreckage, opening up to allow Connie, Garnet, and Amethyst to step outside to examine the wreckage.

"Say isn't that one of those Metalia Ranger dude's ships," Amethyst asked as she kicked the hull lightly. "I though Diamond wiped them out."

"Perhaps this ship is still being used by others." Connie questioned as she and the others approached the door.

As soon as Garnet was about to open the door, she was tackled by a large green-blue gem with sharp nails.

"Game over bitch!" Thorn yelled at her prey, "You won't get me th-" Thorn stopped and examined her opponent, realizing it was not who she expected. "Wait a minute, you're not Agates!"

Amethyst quickly transformed into Puma mode, grabbed Thorn, and slammed her into the hull of the ship. "Okay, what the hell are you doing here? What did DI send you here to do?"

As Connie watched the spectacle occur, she noticed other Gems beginning to emerge from the ship. A large obese Gem and an orange colored Gem then approached her.

"Are you the Crystal Gems of Colony Terrae?" the fat Gem asked Connie.

"Um…yes?" Connie replied hesitantly.

"Oh! It's good to see you then!" said the fat Gem as she engulfed her new Gem friend in a bear hug. Connie gasped for air as she was sucked into the Gem's fat folds.

"Smoky, that's enough! You're going to kill her." Shouted a voice as Smoky released her. Connie looked to see a tall Green Gem in a emerald blazer standing before her, as she looked around, she saw the other Gems place their closed fists over their chests.

"Master Emerald, you're alive!" Thorn shouted, as she broke free from Amethyst grasp and rushed to the Gem before her. "I though you died on Venatio."

"I almost did, but I managed to escape the encampment and sneak onto this ship. I am sorry I did not tell you right away, but I had to make sure that things are okay." His attention then turned to Connie. "Oh, so you're the carrier of ROQU."

The other Gems gasped as they stared at Connie. Amethyst, Garnet and Connie looked around in confusion as the Gems saluted her.

"Yeah…I am a Gem too. I got these powers after…my boyfriend…died…" Connie looked down to the ground as her memories of Pearl's horrific acts filled her head. She then felt a hand pat her on the head as she looked up at the Gem master before her.

"Do not dwell in the past ROQU, for even though the wounds are there, they will heal one day." Emerald then tilted his head and smiled. "I can see that you are pregnant as well."

This alarmed the other Gems as they looked at Connie, who looked at her stomach.

"But that's impossible, Gems cannot reproduce!" Spinel exclaimed.

"How can she reproduce while we can't?" Smoky interjected.

"She is a liar and a fraud." Thorn shouted, "More than that, she could be a spy for DI."

"She is not, she is a human, and she acquired a Gemian Gem." Emerald said in defense, "Unlike normal Gem, Gemians can reproduce. This incarnation acquired her powers from a offspring of ROQU."

The Gems looked at each other as they muttered in agreement. As they focused their attention on Garnet and Amethyst, Emerald turned back to Connie.

"I can see that you are highly respected as a leader." Connie said as she crossed her arms. Watching as Garnet and Amethyst talked to the refugees.

"Well, most of the respect comes from the fact that I am a disciple of TO." Emerald replied, "But I rarely had to pull that rank for a while."

Connie then paused and looked up to the green Gem. "Then you know where they are!"

Emerald frowned as he placed his hand on Connie shoulder. "I am sorry to say this" Emerald sighed, "But I was going to ask you the same thing."

Connie turned for a minute to think. "So Topaz left no clue or idea as to where they would have gone to?"

"No, they did not." Emerald said softly, "The last time I saw them was when we were sent to fight on Insidiae. We had to split up and they told me that I would find them on Terrae."

Connie scratched her head in puzzlement. "Well that is pointless, they could be anywhere on earth."

"Did Topaz say anything specific?" Garnet asked, having escaped the mob of Gems who were enticed by Amethyst whoppers about the Purple Puma. "A specific temple or colony perhaps?"

Emerald rubbed his face as he thought about what Topaz told him. "I do know that he had been to your planet many times before." Then the green Gem beamed in realization. "Oh! He also told me something else."

"…and it was…" Connie asked, gesturing her hand in a circle. She was getting annoyed by the hesitation and pausing.

"That if I ever did arrive on Terrae, that they would be in a place where DI would never find them, they said, "I will be mourned for nothing but war, and be remember for nothing but war. I will be known for being unknown and my home will be unknown."

Connie thought about it for a moment before her eyes beamed up. "I know where Topaz is!" she shouted, grabbing the attention of the other Gems and Amethyst, who pushed the Gems aside to approach Connie.

"Where…who…what?" said Amethyst, "Where are they?"

"Come one, we have to go now." Connie said as she ran over to the van.

"If you're going to get TO, then I am coming too." Emerald exclaimed to the Earth Gems. He then turned back to Thorn and clasped her hands, placing a small note in her hands.

"Thorn, I need you to go to the Tribunal Temple. Its location is marked in this note. Do not attempt to fight DI until we return with TO, Is that clear?

Thorn nodded as she turned around and waved her hand, this caused a portal to open up before the Gems. As Smoky, Spinel, and the other refugees entered the Portal, Thorn looked back to Emerald as he walked to the van and sighed.

"Be safe Master…" Thorn whispered before entering the portal and closing it behind her.

As Emerald watched the portal close, he enters the van alongside Amethyst and Connie.

"So…where are we going?" Amethyst said to Connie, "Because if we are going far, then we need snacks."

"Well…" Connie replied as she pulled out a map. "Topaz said that "they would be remembered for nothing but war, and they would be known for being unknown," What monument is known for being unknown and for mourning war."

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" Amethyst shouted as she waver her hand like a kindergartner. "I have no fucking idea!"

Connie sighed as she rubbed her eyes. "What Topaz is referring to is the Tomb of the Unknown Solder. It is a memorial in Washington D.C."

"So we are going all the way to this Washington?" Garnet asked as she started the car, "I hope you are right about this."

As Connie smiled, she opened the window and looked up at Lion who was sleeping on the roof. He then quickly woke up and roared, creating a portal before the van.

"I always wanted to see the capital." Connie said excitedly to Emerald, who nodded in blind agreement despite paying more attention to the crow that was circling above them.

With that in mind, the four Gems, and lion braced themselves as they dove into the portal. As it closed behind them, the crow flew down to where the portal closed and transformed into Onyx. Who had been watching them the entire time. She then scooped up some dirt from the ground, compressed it in her hand, and blew into it. As she opened her hand, there was a red ember in her hand. As she looked at it, it shined brightly before projecting a large face, a face that belonged to the Gemian God Diamond.

"What have you found?" Diamond said to his servant.

"Master, I know where Topaz is." Onyx said as she kneeled to Diamond, "The Thief and her Gems are heading to their location as we speak."

Good work Onychinos, now once you locate Topaz's location. I will send Agates and Lapis to acquire them."

"Lapis?" Onyx said in confusion, "She is one of us now?"

"Yes" Diamond replied, suddenly solidifying before his servant, "Your find was much more special than you assumed. It is because of things like this that I see you as my daughter."

Onyx eyes widened in surprise at what the Master has said, as she stared at the Master before her, as she stood up before him, she felt his hand gently brush her face.

"You…you consider me…your daughter?" Onyx asked in shock, "But you have never allowed me or the others to see ourselves as your children. You have punished us for calling you…"

"Father?" Diamond answered, looking down at the Gem before her with a feeling he had not felt in eons. "While that is true for Vestibulum and Zirconia, you are the only exception for you are worthy to be called "Child of DI".

She then found herself burying herself Diamond's robe as she sobbed, feeling her Master's hands hold her to him. As she looked up to him, she looked into his eyes of silver, which she had not seen since her conception. The very sigh filled her body with a desire she had not felt in centuries.

"Diamond…Father…" Onyx whispered with a shutter as she felt his hand tilt her face upward to him "I…I need you…"

"You have proven your loyalty and obedience to Obsidian…" Diamond replied back as he brought her closer to him. "…and to me, my child."

"I will not fail you…Father," Onyx said, wiping her eyes as she was still getting use to the new freedom.

"I know you will." Diamond said as she entered the portal and vanished.

Just as he disappeared, Onyx heard a police siren in the distance. She then quickly transformed before the trucks arrived. As they stopped before the ship, they opened in the back allowing the solders and scientists to approach the wreckage. As once solder noticed the crouched figure nearby, he approached it, revealing a man with black hair and yellow glasses in a black suit and red tie by the name of David Facilier. The solder quickly saluted in response.

"At ease solder." David said with a smile, "I'm just checking up on the wreckage of this vessel."

"Sorry sir." The solder replied meekly, "Do you need me to contact HQ?"

David pondered this for a moment before smiling yet again.

"Yeah, can you tell them that I need a chopper to Washington D.C?"

"Sir Yes sir!" the solder replied as he removed his radio, "Is there a specific reason for this?"

"Oh nothing too serious…" David replied as he looked at the sky above him.

"…I thought I'd go pay my respects to an old friend."


	5. The Hunt: Part 2

Original Idea by: Scraps

Collaboration work with: Cleverun

Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 5: Topaz the Hunted: Part 2  
[*]

**Arlington National Cemetery, present day**

[*]

There was a bang and a flash as the van slid from lion's portal and into the streets of the cemetery, the Gems looked around as they saw the hundreds of gravestones, each marking the sign of one who had passed on. The whole area was cold and crisp with death. The Gems soon drove to a large hill with a larger monument on top of it. From van, the Gems could see a lone guard patrolling the tomb.

"Alright so here is the plan," Emerald explained to the rest of the Gems, I will create a diversion, while Garnet and Amethyst will hold off the reinforcements. This will give enough time for Connie to break open the tomb and acquire Topaz."

Connie gave Emerald an expression of horror. "You want me to destroy a artifact? A artifact, I mind you, I used in my American History class? Forget it, if there is one thing I will not destroy, that would be the tomb of the unknown."

"We have no choice," Garnet interjected, "every minute we waste give Diamond the advantage, we need to acquire Topaz now."

Well I am not sitting here waiting to be Agate chow." Amethyst snarled she slammed open the van's side door and began marching towards the tomb, "I have lost my home, my friends, and my colossus burrito that I was saving for Christmas, if you think that I am going to take this bull-"  
"I think there are more important things right now than you're precious "burrito"" Emerald interjected playfully.

That was the final straw. Amethyst roared before transforming into a large purple wrestler known as "The Purple Puma." Within a blink of an eye, the behemoth charged up the hillside towards the tomb and its lone guard.

"Stop right there, you brute." The guard said before being smack aside by Puma and then tumbling down the hill.

Before anyone else began to act, Amethyst began to smash open the tomb. Chunks of marble flew everywhere with each attack. Emerald, Garnet and Connie watched with horror and awe at the spectacle before them.

"So I guess there is no need for a distraction then?" Garnet said as she walked over to calm Amethyst down.

As Connie wondered when ether desecrating and destroying a artifact of the Commonwealth was worth it, Emerald looked up at the sky to see a crow hovering over them.  
"Connie" Emerald whispered to Connie while yanking her arm, "Did you notice that crow that has been following us since we left.

Connie looked up at the crow, which was now perched on a grave around them. Connie then noticed something off about it.

"That's not a crow…" Connie whispered back to Emerald, "It's an Eastern Raven, and…and they are quite uncommon in the northern area.

"Thought so!" Emerald shouted as he placed both his arms over his Gems and summoned his swords. He then leaped into the air and swung a wave of energy at the Raven. The attack struck the raven, but as it was hit, it exploded into a black mist. Shortly afterward, Garnet and Amethyst ran up to the commotion.

"What happened?" Garnet asked the Gems.

"It's Diamond," Emerald shouted as he armed himself "He followed us here, brace yourselves."

Garnet and Amethyst quickly summoned their weapons and joined Connie and Emerald. The four Gems then formed a circle around the mist-covered Cemetery, waiting for the moment when the attack would come.

"Hey Gar," Amethyst whispered to Garnet, "We've dealt with Gem beasts and rogue Gems, what are our chances of dealing with a Gem God?"

"I don't know…" Garnet said, looking around for a sign of an attack. "But no matter what happens, we cannot hold back."

It felt like hours before Emerald noticed a figure moving in the shadow,

"You're not getting the upper hand on me, not again. " Master Diamond," "Emerald said to himself, "This time, I am ready for you! This time, I will avenge my Gem brethren."

Just then, there was a loud screech, followed by a sudden shift in the air as the mist divided into two clouds. One formed into Onyx, the other formed into Pearl.

Garnet glared at Pearl in horror and anger, without hesitation, she charged at her former Gem sister. Only to be parried and slashed across the chest, causing the Gem to fall onto the ground.  
"GARNET, NO!" Emerald shouted at Garnet before being attacked by a black water spear. As he looked up, he saw before him a Gem of blue skin, Blackshot eyes, and Black liquid wings.

"Lapis…Lapis Lazuli?" Emerald whispered in fear, "No…not my sister. No…."

Lapis responded by sticking her tongue at her brother, as she quickly teleported before him and jabbed him in the chest. Causing him to spit up blood and fall onto his knees.

"How...I should have detected you." Emerald strained as he fell to his side. Looking up to see Amethyst fighting before she became entrapped within a large Onyx claw. He then turned to Connie, who was backing away in fear and mouthed the words "run."

The Moment Connie turned around to run, she slammed herself into a tall being. As she looked up in horror, there standing before her, was a tall Gem, A gem of silver hair, red eyes, and a sensation of weakness and inferiority. Connie backed away a little before summoning her weapons before the Master.

"It is about time we finally met face to face, little Furem." Diamond said as his eyes scanned his opponent. "I did not expect my foe to be so…young."

Connie's face turned pale at the sight before her. All the months of torment, the months of loss, her fantasies of finally extracting the retribution, were finally here. However, when she faced the towering Gem, she felt a sensation of insignificance, as if she were but a mere insect to the Gemian God before her. Connie quickly snapped out of this and gritted her teeth at the Master.

"SHUT UP!" Connie shouted at she Gem Master while arming her blade and shield, "It's because of you that my family is gone, my home is gone…Steven is gone…it's all YOUR FAULT!" Connie then lunged at Diamond, only for her to be lifted into the air and thrown into a tombstone. As she lifted herself up, she quickly noticed Diamond swinging his mace above her and blocked the attack with her shield. The impact created a loud ringing in the air. Diamond then removed his weapon and stepped back.

"Please understand Furem, that what I do is for the best of this Universe. Do you not understand that chaos is caused by the decisions you have made, the mistakes you have made? Your Universe was given a gift by the Gem Mother, and like spoiled children, you have squandered that gift, and I have no choice, but to take it away from you. This is not a means to conquer or destroy, but to survive and build a better Universe, for you, for your people, and for your child."

Connie shook her head indisbelief before charging at the Gem before her. As she swung her blade, Diamond avoided each attack. As if he knew the attacks before they happened. As Connie attempted to fling her shield at Diamond, he grabbed the shield, looking at the weapon before breaking it in his hand.

"I see that for a Furem, you have some understanding over our powers." Diamond said as he dissipated his weapon, "However, you have yet to scratch the surface as what a Gemian can do. Not even that abomination of Rose's could comprehend the things our Tribunal could do."

Diamond then widened his expression slightly as if he realized something; he began to sense an additional life from within the Furem before her. Narrowing his eyes in irritation, he lifted one of his hands and clenched it slightly.

"What are you doing?" Connie shouted to Diamond, who responded with a glare. For some reason, this was beginning to anger Connie, as she looked into Diamond's eyes, she felt an overwhelming sensation of rage, rage at the Gem who ruined her life and killed her love. "Stop that! I'll kill you…I'll…I'LL KILL YOU!"

As Garnet watched, she heard a small voice call out to her; she recognized the voice, looking forward to Connie as she was preparing a charged attack.

"Auntie, it hurts…I can't breathe…make him stop…he's hurting me!"

Garnet realized what was going to happen, remembering why Diamond had Steven and his original child killed in the first place. She then looked to Diamond, who had his clenching hand pointed at Connie. Within seconds, Connie shouted at Diamond before charging straight at him.

"CONNIE STOP!" Garnet shouted at Connie, who ran at Diamond like an enraged animal. "HE WANTS YOU TO ATTACK HIM, HE KILLING HER!"

Her shouts were ignored as Connie lifted her blade to swing her blade at the Gem before her, not noticing that when she was about several feet away from him, Diamond clenched his hand into a fist.

Connie then stopped completely, her body jolt and her stomach tighten…

Garnet then heard a loud piercing scream, a scream like that of a little girl…

She then realized what had happened, tears flowing from her eyes before feeling a blade touch her neck.

"Try to interfere and you will die" Pearl whispered to her victim as she watched the spectacle before her.

Emerald, Onyx, Lapis, and Amethyst stared at Connie as she stood there, dropping her weapons and grabbing her stomach, looking to her opponent with an expression of horror as he opened his clenched fist before her.

The center of his palm was a red stain, almost like blood…  
"Now you will understand the price for facing a God," Diamond said as he gestured to her "And that price is loss."

Connie looked down slowly at her body, she looked down at her pants that were becoming stained with blood. She then began to shutter at the realization of what had happened, Realizing that once again, she had experienced loss. Within moments of this new though, Connie knelt to the ground, her hands wrapped over her stomach, and fell to her sides. She curled up into a ball as she wept loudly. As Diamond watched with a cold stare, Onyx moved beside him.

"What now?" Onyx asked her master, who gave her a look of irritation.

"Now that Rose's Vitae is in one piece, I will extract her Vitae," said Diamond, before looking to Emerald. "But not before I acquire something else first."

As Diamond approached Emerald, he stopped and turned to see the Tomb guard aiming his rifle at the Gemian. Peridot turned as well, noticing the strange way he was holding the rifle. Almost like a completely different weapon. As Diamond looked at the man, his eyes widened at surprise.  
"I am sorry brother, but I cannot let you do that." The guard said.

"YOU!" Diamond said before being blasted back by a large bolt of golden energy.

Onyx watched as her Master flew into a pair of tombstones. She then turned back to the assailant, who quickly smashed Onyx's face into the earth below her. As he turned to Lapis, who released her grip on Amethyst and lunged at the solder, he parried around her hand jabbed his hand into her Gem, causing her to revert into a Gem and fall to the ground. The solder then picked up the Gem and looked at it. As he did, he changed form, turning into a being with blond hair and a suit with a topaz gem on the left side of his arm.

"I am sorry I was not there for you and your brother, I cannot forgive myself for whatever hell you have endured, but that changes now." As they placed the Lapis Gem into their pocket, they turned to Emerald.

"Creator?" Emerald said to the gold colored Gem before him, a sensation of relief that his master and creator was before him.

"Hello my son" Topaz smiled to their son "I can see the years have been kind to you."

Zis attention was then drawn to Connie, who was keeled over and crying, Topaz walked over to her and kneeled beside her. As they looked down to her, zis eyes began to pour with tears.  
"Oh my sweet child," Topaz said to Connie as they lifted her up to their breast and kissed her forehead, "What has happened to you?"

"H-he killed her…he killed m-my baby!" Connie wept to the Gemian before her, "He killed both of them!

Topaz then stood up and faced Diamond, who too was standing up from the attack.

"She is a thief Topaz" Diamond hissed at his sibling "She has something that belongs to ME!"  
"She carries Rose's powers for a reason brother." Topaz said sternly to Diamond "You of all Gems should understand that."

Topaz heard a loud shout as both Onyx and Pearl lunged at Topaz, only to be blocked by a large force field. Topaz looked behind themself to see Emerald with his hands extended, creating the aforementioned bubble that trapped the two Gems.

"Magicae Scutum Lucem" Emerald said as he pushed the field away, "Works every time."

"Well done Emerald. Now, tend to the others. I will deal with Diamond."

As Topaz handed Connie to Emerald, they turned to face Diamond. Topaz then summoned their lance and aimed it at their brother.

"Diamond, I don't want to hurt you." Topaz said

"Then you should have thought of that before betraying our cause." Diamond replied "Because I have no problem killing traitors."

"The only traitor here is you." Topaz rebutted, "I know you only want Rose and my powers for your own view or order. What you are doing is far from order, using the Leviathan, killing Gems, you are no hero, and you are nothing more than a monster."

"You have become corrupt." Said Diamond as he armed himself with his mace, "You have allowed the poison to infect your mind, do you not see what these…children do to each other if left untreated? They will kill each other over meaningless ideals and wants. What I am doing is what our mother wanted us to do, to protect this Universe from evil, no matter the cost. Everything I have done is for the greater good."

"I see…" Topaz said as they started to walk sideways, while Diamond did the same, "...and how does raping Rose and using the Obsidian Leviathan count towards the greater good?"

Diamond snarled at his sibling, "It was necessary to ensure control. I have to be in control of everything if I want order. Rose did not comply and I was forced to take action for the sake of the Univ-."

Just then, Diamond eyes widened as he turned behind him, his expression turned to a look of both shock and rage, as if he realized that he was losing something.

"Vestibulum, Onychinos, to me!" Diamond shouted as the tow Gems replied, standing next to their master before he summons a portal around them.

"I will offer this only once Topaz and this goes for the rest of you as well." Diamond said as he looked to his sibling, then to the other Gems. "If you truly care for your Universe, then you will return to Beach City and surrender to me."

"Mother wouldn't want this." Topaz said in response.

"She is not here to decide that is she?" Diamond said as he dissipated into the portal, but not before pointing at his sibling "You…you were always her *favorite*!"

As the portal vanished, Topaz sighed before turning to Garnet, Amethyst, and Emerald. He gave them a small smile before turning to Lion, who had just pounced in.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Amethyst shouted at Lion, "We could have used your help you pink panther reject!"

Garnet placed her hand on the Purple Gem's shoulder to stop her. As Amethyst looked up to Garnet, she could see that the three-eyed gem was a look of desolation, as if she had seen something that rattled her very core. The two Gems watched as Topaz walked up to Lion and petted his man.  
"It has been a while hasn't it?" Topaz said with a smile, "I wish Nilmer was here to see you…"  
Lion growled as he opened a portal behind him. Topaz smile faded as they turned to Emerald who was carrying an unconscious Connie.

"How is she?" Topaz asked as they placed their hand on her head.

"She is not injured." Emerald said with a sigh, "But her baby…"

Garnet could overhear the conversation and cringed, her eyes welling up at the thought of what Diamond had done.

Topaz looked down at the Gem before they and sighed, he knew that this loss was not new to her and that it was because of Diamond.

"Where are the others?" Topaz said to their son?

"They said they would meet us after we found you, I think Lion is talking us to them."

"Good" Topaz said as they walked to the portal. "We need to come up with a plan and we need to fast."

As Emerald watched his creator enter the portal, he looked back down at Connie, who laid within his arms. He sighed as he joined Garnet and Amethyst, who sat in the van, waiting silently for Emerald to join them. As soon as Emerald entered the car, Garnet started it, and drove into the portal.

[*]

**Beach City Containment Camp, Resident District Ruins, present day.**

[*]

A portal opened at the door to the temple as Diamond stepped out of it, followed by Pearl and then Onyx. Diamond turned his attention to Beach City and saw the encampment before him. The camp had been destroyed, parts of Agates were scattered everywhere, it was apparent that there was a large battle here. As Onyx looked in shock, she turned to her master and saw his eyes fill with rage. She knew that Zirconia, the Gem assigned to watch Beach City, would be punished severely.

Diamond looked towards the entrance of the house and saw the parts of Agates that were scattered around the entrance. He then saw the corpses of three humans, noticing the rifles that were beside them. As he approached one, he bent down and examined his body, the body slumped on the stairway and the body which was bent over the deck fence. Diamond then stood up and turned to his servants.

"Vestibulum" Diamond said as he turned to Pearl, "Go and gather the Agates, then patrol the city for anything suspicious."

Pearl nodded as she sprung towards the city. Diamond then turned and began to walk up to the entrance of the temple, stopping as he approached the door.

"Onychinos, to me." He said as Onyx followed behind, Concerned as to what had happened.

"Father, what happened, where is everyone?" Onyx asked the Gemian before her.

Diamond then stopped in his tracks and quickly turned to his servant. As he did, Onyx felt the pain of a large fist backhanding her to the ground. As Onyx sat up, she looked to the towering Gem above her and felt a jolt of fear course through her body.

"You will address me as Master." Diamond hissed to Onyx, "If you call me otherwise, I will rip out your tongue and shove it down your throat! Now stand up!"

Onyx quickly stood up and began to follow her master; her mind was filled with confusion as to what had just happened. It seemed like only yesterday that he allowed her to call him father, and now he does not.

Diamond then turned back to the door and tried to open it. As he felt the door refuse to move, he gritted his teeth as he ripped the door off its hinges and toss it behind him. Diamond and Onyx heard a splash of the door falling into the ocean as Diamond saw the large table before him, which was used to prop the door shut.

"How could they have let this happen?" Diamond said as he shoved the table away. "They are Gems, no, Secundos! Gems created from the essence of Topaz and myself, and they were bested by humans."

"Well…to be fair Master, they had those G.E.R.M agents." Onyx repled, trying not to upset her Master. "But at least they are dead."

Diamond turned to Onyx and grabbed her hair, pulling her towards him.

"Yet they let the humans escape." Diamond hissed at Onyx, watching as the Obsidian rolled down her cheeks. At this sight, Diamond began to punch Onyx in the stomach, emphasizing his point with each hit.

*Bam*

"THEY…"

*Bam*

"WERE…"

*Bam*

"NOT…"

*Bam*

"SUPPOSED…"

*Bam*

"TO…"

*Bam*

"ESCAPE!"

Diamond then threw Onyx across the room. The Black Gem tumbled onto the floor before she vomited black bile onto the floor. As she stood back up, she saw Diamond standing over what remained of the warp pad, which was now broken into pieces and covered with soot. Diamond bent down and touched the damaged warp pad with his fingers, standing back up and examining the soot on his hand.

"They used fire salts…" Diamond said as he wiped his hand on his robe. "They used the salts as a makeshift bomb."

He then turned and saw something besides the damaged warp pad, in a small pile of rubble was a young human, his skin was burnt and his hair was singed, as he bent down to him, he looked into his glazed over eyes. He examined the cuts and dirt on his skin, knowing that he was left behind to detonate the bomb.

"I gave you the choice to save either the life of your love or the life of your people…" Diamond said as he closed the human's eyes. "…and you chose to save both of them, you gave yourself for them. Just as I did…"

"Master…?" Onyx asked as she approached Diamond. "Is everything all right?"

Diamond paused for a moment before he stood up and faced Onyx.

"Zirconia…" Diamond growled as he stormed into the knocked down Gem door and into the Crystal Heart chamber.

Crystal Temple Catacombs, burning room, present day

Diamond and Onyx walked the long halls of the temple until they reached the burning room. It was a large room with a pit of lava in the center. In front of that pit was Zirconia, muttering to herself as she was throwing paper into the pit. Both Gems could also see that Zirconia was missing an arm.

"…and if Master finds out, he will punish me, but what would he know, all he does is make us do his dirty work. Now thanks to that crazy Gem and those idiots, everything is fucked up. When I get my hands on those fucking inbred freaks, I'll-"

"I would think that would be the least of your concerns Zirconia" Diamond said bitterly as Zirconia spun around in shock at her Master's voice. There both Onyx and Diamond could see a large burn on the side of Zirconia's face and body. However, Diamond took no note of the wounds as he stormed forward and grabbed his servant by the throat and lifted her into the air.

"Master!" Zirconia gasped as she tried to break free, "Have mercy!"

"Mercy is an illusion that is granted to the less expendable, and it is only believed in by cowards and failures." Diamond growled as she brought Zirconia to his face. "Now, you will explain to me how a group mere humans we able to escape an army of Agates and three Secundos?"

Zirconia gasped as she looked to the floor, Diamond turned towards the floor as well and saw a piece of paper on the floor next to him. He then proceeded to throw Zirconia into the wall and then reach down to pick up the paper. On the paper was a crude drawing involving a Gem with black and grey hair killing Master Diamond with a large ax. Diamond furrowed his brow before reading the note on it.

"I'm gonna get you." –Howl

Diamond stood back up and examined the note before crumpling it up and throwing it in the lava pit. He then turned back to Zirconia and approached her.

"Why did you not inform me about Howlite's escape?" Diamond said as he towered over her.

"I…I did not think she would be that much of a threat until she attacked me." Zirconia said in defense, "I though Sunstone and Moonstone could handle it. It's there faults, not mine!"

Onyx watched as Diamond once again lifted his servant into the air. In a sense of pity for her sister and granddaughter, she tried to intervene.

"Master, what I-"

"SILENCE!" Diamond shouted, the whole temple shook from his voice, who had never seen her master so angry before, "If I want to hear your opinion, then I will beat it out of you!"

Onyx shuttered at the sound of Diamond's voice, his very voice echoed through her whole body. She knew that this time, there was no second chance for the Gem in his hands, she knew that this punishment would be the last.

"I have realized that I am the one at fault for this." Diamond said to his servants, "I have allowed myself to be corrupted by pointless ideals and become too lenient. Because of this, not only has Topaz escaped with the Furem, now Zirconia and the Secundo of Topaz have shown that a mere handful of primates could easily defeat us…"

Diamond then turned to Onyx, "As for you, I have allowed my own corruption fill you with a desire of love towards me. I realize now that the four of you have constantly failed as Secundos and as my servants, this means that the only remaining use you will have to me is to be sacrifices for Obsidian."

Onyx froze, remembering what had happened at the crash site, all the things Diamond said and did. The very though caused tears to fall from her eyes as she stared at her master with a look of disbelief.

"But…what you said…you said I was…you're…"

"Daughter?" Diamond hissed as he dropped Zirconia to the ground before walking up to his black-haired servant, "I remember what I said, and yet, I care not. Let me remind you Onychinos, that you are an extension of Obsidian and myself for the purpose of following my orders! Your purpose is to do what I say, when I say it, without question, objection, or remorse, which you have done one too many times. You were created as a tool, and now you will die as one. I have carry no love for you then and now, nor will I ever!"

He then turned his attention back to Zirconia and forced her up against the wall. "Nor do I carry mercy. For too long, I have allowed your failures to proceed without true consequence. Many times you have failed to obtain the Furem's Vitae. That, among this, is unacceptable and I act upon my promise to you..."

Diamond then bent down to Zirconia so he could whisper his choice into her ear.

"Because you allowed the humans to escape, and hindered my plans tenfold, I must kill you."

Zirconia quickly broke down onto the floor in a mix of gibbering cries to pleas of mercy. Diamond simply looked down with an expression of malice.

"Get up." Diamond commanded his servant, who stood up without hesitation.

"Look at me." Diamond said as she proceeded to do so.

"Who am I?" Diamond asked as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

Zirconia looked at Diamond's hands before looking back to her master, her eyes poured with Obsidian tears.

"You are my master…" Zirconia said with a whimper.

"Are you afraid of me?" Diamond asked.

"Yes…" Zirconia replied with a nod.

"Are you prepared to die?" Diamond asked the Gem before him.

"No…" Zirconia choked, she could feel her body shake with fear.

"Why?" Diamond asked.

Zirconia hesitated before looking to her Master with a tearful smile.

"Because I don't want to die!"

"Now…you are learning." replied Diamond, jaw split open down the middle, opening up and revealing a set of tentacles, barbed sets of fangs and a large barbed tube-like tongue. He then plunged into Zirconia's neck. Onyx watched in horror as Diamond drained the Vitae from her screaming grandchild. As he finished he ripped himself loose from Zirconia's neck. As he did, a chuck of flesh from her neck was torn off with his tongue, causing the Gem to scream and choke as she held the gushing throat and dropped to the floor. As Zirconia tried to stop the bleeding, her attention was then drawn to Diamond, who retracted his jaw as he stood over her with his mace over his head.

All Zirconia was able to do was scream a loud "NO!" as Diamond brought his mace down upon her. With no hesitation or remorse, he did not stop for even a minute as he beat the Gem's head and body into the earth below. Zirconia's screams and gurgles mixed together as he broke her bones, smashed her body, and splattered her blood all over the floors and walls around them. Onyx could feel the vibrations of each impact with the mace through her body, the room, and perhaps, the entirety of the temple.

After what felt like hours of Diamond crushing the Gem below him, the Old King finally stopped, his robes and mace soaked with grey blood as he stood over the crater of mush that was once a Gem. He then reached into the pile of remains and removed a white gem from the pile. Diamond then drained the Vitae from it before casting it into the pit of lava. As Onyx watched the Gem melt in the pool, she was drawn back to Diamond, who was now standing before her.

"Now it is your turn." Diamond said blankly as he cast away his mace. Onyx backed away slightly before she tripped and fell onto the floor. She then felt as the ground locked around her ankles and heels. Immobilizing her as Diamond disrobed.

"Did you really think you had gained a place to my heart?" Diamond hissed as he stood above his prey. "No…I don't think so."

"Master, no-" Onyx's pleas were stopped by Diamond's hand clasping around her mouth. All she could do was make muffled scream as Diamond tore off her robes. She cried in pain as he stuck himself into her, his hand then found themselves around her neck, squeezing tighter with each thrust.

Onyx tried to break free, but it was no use. She could feel herself fading in and out of conscious as Diamond choked the life out of her.

"May this be a remind Onychinos that I am always in control…" Diamond exclaimed, as he slammed into her harder. "…and that your life was always in my grasp."

All Onyx could do was look into Master Diamond's molten red eyes before everything turn to darkness. Even though she could still feel him, she found the darkness safe.

For the first time in her life since she first breathed life, she felt safe…

[*]


	6. The Gemain

Original Idea by: Scraps

Collaboration work with: Cleverun

Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 6: A Gemian Apart

[*]

**Tribunal Temple, present day**

As the van rushed out of the portal and came to a screeching halt before the temple, the Gems within it stepped outside. First was Topaz, carrying Connie within their arms, then came Emerald, followed by Garnet and then Amethyst. As the Gems walked towards the temple, Garnet and Amethyst looked at a crater they were passing by; it was the same crater that was created from the Agate they fought a long time ago. Garnet bit her lip as she looked to the temple; the very sight reminded her of her failure to Steven and to Pearl. Amethyst noticed this and placed a hand on Garnet's shoulder. Garnet looked to her Gem sister and then continued to walk to the temple.

As the Gems entered the Temple, Thorn, Spinel, and the other Gem refugees greeted them. Upon seeing Topaz, the Gems quickly bowed to their leader.

"There is no need for that at this time." Topaz said as they continued walking, "Where is Turquoise?"

Thorn rose from the floor and approached Topaz. As the Gemian looked into her eyes, they knew what had happened.

"You combined your Vitae…" Topaz said as they stepped before Thorn, they brow furrowed in disbelief "Serpentine, how could you do this, do you realize that what you have done is permanent?"

Thorn flinched at the Gem Master's exclamation before speaking. "I...I hand no choice Master. Master Diamond attacked Venatio and killed both Turquoise and Sapphire; Azurite would have become an Agate if I did not intervene. I could not stand to see her as a mindless puppet."

"As what I can tell, this form is no different." Topaz said coldly as they turn and walked away, leaving a distraught Thorn behind them.

As Emerald looked to the crying Thorn and then to Topaz, he quickly rushed to his Creator, with Garnet and Amethyst tagging behind him.

The three Gems found Topaz in their study, standing before their desk. Topaz then turned his head lightly as the contents of their desk were thrown off the table. They then placed Connie onto the table and stood back up. As Emerald approached Topaz, he could see tears running down their face.

"Master Topaz?" Emerald said cautiously to the Gemian, choosing his words carefully, "Is she going to be all right?"

Topaz looked down at the Gem child before them; they could see her eyes were hollow and cold. Her face was without expression and her gaze was as if she was dead. Just the very sigh of her face caused fresh tears to run down Topaz's cheeks.

"She is in so much pain, Emerald." Topaz whispered, wiping the tears from their eyes with their hand "The trauma my brother gave to her has brought her into a catatonic state. I do not know if I can fix this."

Emerald watched as Topaz placed their hand over Connie's forehead. He watched as a small yellow light began to flicker from their hand onto Connie's head. As soon as the light touched Connie, her chest rose up and she gasped lightly. Garnet and Amethyst watched in suspense as Connie's body returned to its natural state and her eyes close.

"What did you do?" Amethyst shouted as she approached the Gemian, grabbing them by their suit and aiming her fist at them. "TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?"

Emerald and Garnet quickly grabbed Amethyst and held her back, allowing the Gemian to continue his work.

"Let me go!" Amethyst shouted as the Gems pulled her back, "They're hurting her."

"No they is not." Emerald replied as he pulled the purple Gem towards him, "They're is using a Gemian ability called _Somnium Eo_, it will allow Topaz to enter Connie's mind and heal her. You have to trust them."

Amethyst glared angrily at Emerald as tears began to form in her eyes, "How the fuck am I supposed to do that? Every Gem I know is a traitor." Amethyst said with a light scoff as she pulled herself free of Garnet and Emerald and slumped on to the floor, cupping her hands to her face. "Steven's dead, Pearl is a traitor, how could she do this to us? We were a team for years. YEARS and all this time, she was…she…"

Garnet sat down and comforted her Gem sister, cringing at the thought that nine months ago she was a carefree Gem who barely took anything seriously. Now, it was almost if that carefree Gem was long gone.

As Emerald looked to the two Gems, he noticed Smoky approaching him; she had a small hesitant look on her face.

"Not is not a good time Smoky." Emerald sighed, "Can you give is a few minutes? I will speak to you later."

"I apologize Master," Smoky said as she lightly bowed, "But this is urgent, it involves Beach City."

The very mention of the city caused both Amethyst and Garnet to look to Smoky. Amethyst quickly rose up and grabbed the large Gem by the robe.

"What is it, what happened to Beach City?" Amethyst shouted as Garnet quickly grabbed her Gem sister away from Smoky.

"Well, one of our scouts reported that there was an attack on the city." Smoky said to the three Gems, "It involved a small group of humans known as G.E.R.M."

Emerald eyes widened at the mention of the name "They attacked beach city? Why would a group of humans attack a Gem fortress, it would be suicidal unless they had help from the inside."

Smokey then looked to her right as she prepared her next words carefully, "Well…about that…um…I was meaning to tell you that…uh…Howlite is here for you. She had just arrived after helping liberate the humans of that city.

Emerald froze; a small smile began to grow on the Gem Master's face.

"She is alive?" he whispered before hugging Smoky. "SHE IS ALIVE! OH THANK GEMIA!"

Garnet and Amethyst looked in confusion as Emerald broke form the hug and rushed away, eager to find the aforementioned Gem. As they looked to Smoky, her expression was a mix of joy and concern.

"What is wrong with Howlite?" Garnet asked the large Gem as she approached her

"Well, after talking with her for some time, I have reason to believe that she has become….unstable."

"Unstable?" Garnet replied with a confused look, "What do you mean by unstable?"

[*]

**Tribunal Temple Training Room, present day**

Master Diamond staggered back as he received a heavy punch in the face from another Gem. This Gem, which was known as Howlite, had silver hair with black highlights and white skin, with only the left side of her face, which appeared to be cracked. She had a grey gem on the back of her left hand that also appeared to be cracked. As she pulled back from the punch she had thrown, Diamond stood back up and held his jaw in his hand. Just then, a voice suddenly boomed in the room.

[CRITICAL IMPACT TO JAW…DAMAGE RECEIVED: BROKEN JAW…ESTIMATED DAMAGE PERCENT: 8%.]

Howlite grinned as she summoned her large battle-ax. Diamond then spat at the ground before summoning his mace and charging at Howlite. The cracked Gem quickly dogged the attack and slashed at Diamond, cutting into his back.

[LARGE CUT TO BACK OF TARGET…DAMAGED RECEIVED: CRITICAL CUT TO BACK…ESTIMATED DAMAGE PERCENT: 19%]

Diamond turned to Howlite as she brought up her ax. A large grin stretched across her face as her silver eyes widened. Diamond gritted his teeth as he brought up his mace and swung it towards her. As he did, the head of the mace detached and bolted at Howlite. The cracked Gem simply dogged each attack as Diamond flung his flail at her. However, Diamond then pulled his weapon back, causing the flail to swing back and smack his opponent in the head. Howlite staggered and knelt to the floor as Diamond retracted his mace and began to approach his target.

[LARGE IMPACT TO SKULL…DAMAGED RECEIVED: MODERATE CONCUSSION…ESTIMATED DAMAGE PERCENT: 23%...OPPONENT HAS RECEIVED AN OPENING.]

As Diamond stood above his victim, lifting his mace to give the finishing blow, he swung his weapon down upon the Gem before him, hearing a large clang as she quickly blocked the attack. Howlite looked up at Diamond with a wide-eyed grin, her head bleeding from Diamond's earlier attack. She then quickly pushed forward, causing Diamond to fall back as his opponent began to rise up, as the Gems pushed against one another, Howlite finally used all her strength to spin her ax around and parry both her ax and Diamond's mace out of their hands.

[BOTH PARTIES ARE DISARMED…PROBABILITY OF DEFEAT: 43%]

Howlite quickly pounced and tackled Diamond as she sat on top of him, with a large grin, her reached behind her back and pulled out a dagger. Diamond watched in horror as she lifted the dagger with both hands.

[TARGET HAS BEEN DEFEATED…DEFENDANT IS VICTORIOUS.]

The booming voice had no effect on Howlite as she let out a large shriek, plunging the dagger into Diamond's chest. Diamond shouted and gurgled as Howlite stabbed the Gemian repeatedly. Howlite watched as her prey flicker from master Diamond to a crystal based figure. She then took her dagger and sliced it across the hologem's neck. Slicing left and right until the head fell off. Howlite smiled as she picked up the head and pressed it to her forehead. As she did, she envisioned the Hologem's head as that of Master Diamond, imaging herself looking into the dead eyes of the Gemian she desired to kill.

Howlite's fantasy was cut short by the intrusion of a new voice, once that sounded very familiar.

"Howl?" said Emerald, who moments ago arrived to watch the spectacle before her.

Howlite turned to the green Gem beside her. As she looked into his eyes, she suddenly remembered who this Gem was to her. A smile crept on her face as she stood up, rushing over to the Gemian and embracing him with a large hug around her waist.

"Emey!" Howlite squeaked as she tightened her hug

"It's good to see you too." Emerald said with a smile as he broke the hug and looked down to his friend. He immediately noticed her cracks and frowned at the sight. "What has happened to you? The last time I saw you, we were fighting on Insidiae."

As soon as Emerald mentioned Insidiae, Howlite's smile faded quickly, replaced with a large scowl towards the Gemian, Howlite then turned away from her master, fidgeting with a Hologem head she lifted off the floor.

"You left me to die on Insidiae, remember?" Howlite said with a flat tone, tracing the lines of the Hologem head with her fingers. "You left me to rot with those rogue Gems we were going to "save."

"Howlite…" Emerald said, taken aback from his friend's response, "I did not know that…I thought you were…"

"Dead?" Howlite said as she turned to Emerald. "No…No…I didn't die, I never did. You knew this and you abandoned me!"

Emerald was speechless, he had no idea what had happened on Insidiae after he left, in fact, and no Gem knew what had happened on that Colony after the war. After what felt like hours, Emerald finally broke the silence.

"What happened on Insidiae Howl?" Emerald said hesitantly, trying to be careful and not enrage the already unstable Gem.

Howlite chuckled as she began to pace the training room. "What happened to me? What happened?" Howlite then glared at Emerald and chucked the Hologem head at him, missing the Gem master, and smashing against the wall.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED?" Howlite shrieked as she held her left hand over the cracked portion of her face.

Emerald gasped lightly as his head a hand up to his mouth. "What did Master Diam-"

"DON'T CALL HIM THAT!" Howlite screamed at Emerald, her face flustered as she held up her hands. "HOW DARE YOU CALL HIM "MASTER" AFTER ALL HE HAS DONE!"

Peridot was frozen; he did not know what to say, nor how to react. All he could do was watch as his friend paced the room angrily. She then turned back to Emerald with wide eyes and a half smile.

"You…you are just like Topaz and Rose. You claim that you understand but you do not. You think that just because we are lesser that we are just pawns to your little game of "King of the Universe. However, you do not know what happed at Insidiae. Sure, you fought there, but were you captured like the rest of us. Like me, like Hematite, do you even remember what happed to him?"

Emerald froze as he remembered about Hematite, Emerald's second in command alongside Howlite. The very though cause Emerald to rub his hand over his eyes in guilt.

"But then what about poor Howl, the one that you assumed to be dead for years, when in reality she was alive, on Insidiae, the Gem Colony of "Monster Diamond", who had been using the Colony as a laboratory to create a perfect army for himself. I saw what he was doing with my own eyes. What he did to Jade, Tourmaline, Alexandrite, all of them, I saw them tortured and warped into monsters, while the rest were placed into those Agate drones. As for me, I received some of the Monster's "Special Treatment.""

"Howlite…" Emerald said as he placed a hand on the side of his head, "I didn't know…"

Howlite gave Emerald a smile and shook her head lightly. "You didn't know Emerald, you didn't. While you were fighting on the front lines, did you even THINK of trying to rescuing me? All the years and not *once* did you even think of finding me? You did not care Emerald; all you cared about was to prove to Topaz that you were a worthy son. No matter how many Gems you sacrificed to prove it."

"That is not true Howlite." Emerald interjects, pointing his finger at the Gem before him, "I do not know what Diamond did to you, but he has warped your mind. I did not stop looking for you; even after the war ended, I ended up captured in a containment camp because I believed you were there. Not once did I put my life before you, or Hematite, or any other Gem. I am sorry for leaving you on Insidiae, but you need to know that I had no intention of abandoning you."

Howlite glared at Emerald for what felt like hours, her expression then softened as her attention was focused on the headless Hologem lying on the floor. As she looked around the room, Emerald followed her gaze and noticed the surroundings as well. He looked in shock at the entirety of the training room that was littered with Hologems, many of which were torn apart and scattered some were barely recognizable. As he watched Howlite walk around the room, he noticed her expression was warm and satisfied, as if she had completed a lifelong task she always wanted to finish. Just then, one of the Hologems, one which was pinned to the wall and was missing it's lower legs and left arm, Sprung to life and startled the two Gems before it. As it reached for them, it transformed into the image of Master Diamond, only missing his left arm and legs.

[SEVER DAMAGE TO TARGET…DAMAGED RECEIVED: LOSS OF LEGS AND LEFT ARM…TARGET IS CRIPPLED AND DEFENSELESS…DEFENDANT IS VICTORIOUS]

Howlite looked down and scooped up a large shard of holocrystal, clutching it like a dagger as she stormed up to the wounded Gemian. As she looked into his eyes, she jabbed the shard into his chest. Diamond gasped loudly as Howlite dug the shard in deeper.

[IMPACT TO HEART…DAMAGED RECEIVED: INTERNAL BLEEDING…TARGET IS WOUNDED FATALLY…DEFENDANT IS VICTORIOUS]

Howlite pulled the shard out of Diamond's chest and examined it, looking at the shard that was coated in blue blood. The Hologems were designed to mimic their chosen avatars to the letter. This meant that attacking a hologem that took the guise of Master Diamond was supposed to be like attacking the real Diamond. Emerald watched as Howlite turned her attention back to the Gemian before her.

"Why did you do this to me?" Howlite asked Master Diamond

Diamond responded with a grunt before being stabbed again with the shard

"Why did you do this me?" Howlite asked again as she pulled the shard out and plunged it back into Diamond's chest.

Emerald watched with horror as Howlite continued to stab Diamond repeatedly. As she continued, her stabs became more and more erratic, until she was simply stabbing random points of his body.

Why…

*stab*

…did…

*stab*

…you…

*stab*

…do…

*stab*

…this…

*stab*

…to…

*stab*

…me?

*stab*

…you…

*stab*

…I…

*stab*

…WILL…

*stab*

…KILL…

*stab*

…YOU!

*stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab**stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab**stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab**stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab**stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab**stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab**stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab**stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab**stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab**stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab**stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab**stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab**stab* *stab* *stab* *stab*

Emerald slowly walked up to his friend, still stabbing her shard into the body of the Hologem. Until he finally grabbed Howlite's arms as she was about to plunge the shard again. He noticed that from clenching the shard too tight, her hand was bleeding from the cuts. As Howlite looked to Emerald, he saw her eyes pouring with tears.

"Howlite…" Emerald whispered in a saddened tone "What in Rose's name did he do to you?"

Howlite looked down to the floor before breaking her grip from Emerald, and plunging her shard into the head of Holo-Diamond. As the hologem deactivated, she looked back to Emerald, and stormed out of the training room.

Emerald watched as she left the room and sighed, he then looked back at the hologem and furrowed his brow.

"I promise Howlite, I promise that we will stop him. We will bring that…monster…to justice."

[*]

**Crystal Catacombs: Heart Chamber, present day**

Diamond stood before the Crystal heart, feeling the energy flowing from the large artifact before him. Diamond them opened the front of his robe, exposing his bare chest. He then placed his hands before his chest and a large black serpent emerged from his chest. The Serpent looked around the chamber and hissed before turning towards the Crystal Heart, and then to Diamond.

"_Pristis! Custodire mandata mea!_" Diamond said to the serpent, "_Concedo tibi cor Gemia enim ad vescendum, et revertimini ad antiquitatem vestram gloriam!_"

The serpent hissed before turning back to the heart, suddenly, it shot out of Diamond's chest and burrowed itself into the heart, causing the heart to turn into a much darker color. Diamond could see the serpent inside the heart, Curled up in the center like an infant in their mother's womb. As he relished in the though, he felt the presence of another behind him. Diamond then turned to see Lion standing behind him, his expression as solemn as Diamond's.

"Ah, the familiar of Rose." Diamond said to lion, "I was wondering what happened to you, perhaps my servant was not as effective with your demise as she told me. But that does not answer the question as to why you are here?"

"Because I brought him here." A voice said to Diamond.

Diamond turned to the direction of the voice to see his sister, Rose Quartz, walking into the room. She approached Diamond and brushed his mane.

"You are still as much of a nuisance dead as you were alive, little sister." Diamond hissed in anger, the very presence of Rose was enough to irritate him. "You and that creature of yours have no place here."

"You forget brother, that this is my home" Rose said as she turned to Diamond with a smile "You did turn our homeworld into your personal experiment for the Leviathan." She then tilted her body to examine the Crystal Heart. "Which I can see you used our own mother's heart as an incubator."

Diamond stood up in front of Rose, towering over her as he glared downward to her. "Why are you so persistent in allowing corruption to conquer this Universe? Are you that naive to the truth?"

Rose looked up to Diamond and smiled, "When you created my Room from your own emotions, I was able to realize that it was your idea of a perfect Universe. A Universe where the one in control would be able to get and do whatever they wanted and that everyone else obeyed his commands. However, as I used the room, I found it had a hidden purpose, it would not only give you what you wanted, but also what you needed."

Diamond scowled as she continued her remarks, her words reminded him of the very emotion he despised: love.

"Diamond, I know you want me to hate you, that when I do, you will be free of your love for me. All I can say is that I will never stop loving you. I love you because you are my brother, You and Topaz are my family, You may have killed my husband and son, butchered my successor, killed my grandchildren, and destroyed my home, but I will not hate you. Topaz may hate you, but I will not, and some day, when you ask me for forgiveness for your sins, I will be there to accept them. Nevertheless, all I ask of you is to stop this madness. This Universe may not be the one you want but it is the one we need."

Diamond looked down to his sister, as he glared into her warm smile; he felt tears form into his eyes. Rose saw as his eyes changed color from red to grey as he sunk down and hugged his little sister. As she embraced his hug, she felt as he wept upon her shoulder.

"I know that what I have done cannot be forgiven." Diamond said as he broke of the hug and turned to the Crystal Heart, "But when I fix this Universe, then such problems will become a forgotten memory.

Rose frowned in disappointment as she approached lion, whispering something to him before he disappeared into a portal. Diamond immediately turned towards Rose, his eyes returned to molten red as he stormed towards the Rose Gem.

"Where have you sent him?" Diamond hissed at Rose, "Why was he here?"

Rose simply smiled as her brother, "He was here because of his intended purpose." Rose explained, "Did you forget that our familiars have the ability to revive us should we fall?"

Diamond scowled as he bent down to look Rose in the face, "How clever of you, but I know for a fact that you cannot bring yourself to kill me."

Rose smile faded slightly as she looked down to the floor, "That is true, although you need to be stopped; I could never bring myself to kill you. It would go against everything I stand for as a Tribunal…"

"…but _he_ will not have the same problem."

Diamond furrowed his brow in confusion, before he could respond to Rose, a though sparked in his head, If Lion was meant to revive a Tribunal, and if Rose was unable to go, then …

Rose looked up to see Diamond's face turn pale, his eyes filling up with Rage, along with another emotion he despised: fear.

"No…" Diamond whispered as he stood back up, walking back a few steps away from his sister. He glared at Rose until He gritted his teeth in anger.

"VESTIBULUM!" Diamond roared as he disappeared in a blinding flash of light. Rose then turned back to the Crystal Heart and watched as the black serpent inside twitched like a fetus in the womb.

"I am sorry for the pain he caused you, and the betrayal he made you endure." Rose said as she opened a pink doorway, "But I know that everything I have taught you in our short time together will be enough to stop him." Rose then proceeded to walk into the portal, but stopped halfway and turned back to look at the ceiling of the chamber.

"Take care _filium meum_, she will need you now more than ever, and I want you to know that your father and I will pray for you."

With that, Rose entered the doorway and closed it behind her.


	7. The Dream

Original Idea by: Scraps

Collaboration work with: Cleverun

Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 7: Sometimes, I Dream About Topaz

[*]

**Beach City High School, present day**

Connie sat at her desk as she waited for the teacher to begin his lesson, as she waited, her listened to the chatter of the classmates as they laughed and shouted at each other, boasting about small things that would be forgotten. She smiled as she looked out the window, the sun was shining, and there was not a single cloud in the sky. This has been the perfect day of her life so far. Aside from a small stomachache, nothing could ruin this day. Her moment of bliss was interrupted by the sound of a door opening as a man with blond hair and a blue suit entered the classroom. As he approached the desk, he placed the briefcase in his hand onto the table and then turned his attention to the class.

"Alright students, settle down now." The teacher said to the students, who quickly returned to their seats and stared at the teacher before them. Connie noticed the way the students stared at him, one moment they were exclaiming and teasing each other, the next moment they were deadpan and stoic, like statues. Connie then turned to the teacher who began to write his name on the board behind him.

"As you all know, I am your substitute teacher for the day. My name is Tom Pazali, and I will be enhancing your minds for the day.

"No one told us about a substitute teacher for the day." Connie objected as she felt her stomachache pang a little.

Tom turned to Connie and tilted his head. "Well, if you looked on your syllabus, perhaps you would understand, or perhaps you should focus on the teacher."

Connie was stunned at the response from the teacher, what kind of teacher would act like this?

As she looked back to the window, she saw clouds beginning to form and block out the sun, the whole sky turned grey and gloomy. Connie frowned as she clutched her stomach; a small throbbing was now beginning to intensify. It soon felt like her stomach was on fire. Connie tried to focus of Tom Pazali's lecture, but all she heard were low mumbles. She looked to her students and saw them staring at the teacher in the same deadpan expression. They were like robots, machines that responded without any form of will.

"Ms. Connie, since you are so interested in looking at things, could you please read the board out loud for the rest of the class?" Tom Pazali exclaimed to Connie, snapping her attention to the teacher before turning to the board.

As Connie looked to the board before her, she immediately realized that all the writing was a blur. Connie tried to adjust her glasses, only to realize she had no frames in them. She then remembered that her eyesight was healed, healed by…

"Steven…" Connie whispered

Suddenly, she felt a large agonizing throb in her stomach. Connie yelped as she fell onto the floor. As she looked up, she saw all the students staring down at her, their faces and bodies began to transforming into other people. Connie watched in horror as they all transformed into the image of a tall man with grey hair, a pointed nose, molten red eyes, and a long beard. As they all towered over her, she suddenly felt the pain in her stomach cease. As she looked down to her belly, she watched in horror as her shirt began to become stained with blood. She then looked up to the men above her and remembered whom those men truly are.

"_You have stolen something from me, Furem!_" the men shouted to Connie as they grabbed at her,"_You are not worthy to be a Gem! You failed to save your beloved Steven! You! Are! A! FAILURE!_"

"STOP IT! LEAVE ME ALONE! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? " Connie screamed as she shut her eyes and wrapped her arms over her head.

She suddenly felt a draft of air as she opened her eyes. She found herself on a beach side. As she looked around, she could see a young man in the distance. It was Steven, and he was naked. Upon looking down at herself, Connie realized she was naked too, just like in her nightmare.

She watched at Steven ran towards her, realizing what was going to happen, she extended her hands towards him.

"Steven, stop! It's a trap!" she shouted to the Half-Gem, only to realize she was already sinking into the sand below. As she sunk into the sandy depths, she could see Steven trying to dig her out, only to be stopped by a huge titan. To Connie's shock and horror, she noticed that this time, the titan had the physical appearance of Master Diamond. Connie tried to dig up toward the two Gems, she felt her body freeze up. Connie tried and tried, but she could not move a muscle. She then noticed her "Teacher" Tom Pazali, who soon transformed into a gold haired figure in a gold suit.

"You!" Connie shouted to the figure, "Your that Gem in Washington, you're Topaz!"

Topaz smiled as they nodded their head, as soon as they did, both of them were on the front steps of Steven's house. Connie noticed she was wearing a cream-colored dress and even her glowing bracelet. She soon realized that they were now at the night that Connie and Steven went on their big date, the night that changed their lives forever.

"This is…when I went on that date with Steven." Connie whispered as she touched the door to Steven's house, "Am I…are we…?"

"No, we are not." Topaz replied, "This is just a memory, however, I thought that this would be helpful in your recovery as to remind you of why all of this happened."

Connie stepped away from the door and walked up to Topaz. "I know I made a huge mistake, and it cost the life of the only boy I will ever love, and it's all because of Diamond."

Topaz placed their hands on the angry girl's shoulders, watching as tears began to form from her eyes. Topaz then embraced Connie in a hug as she broke down before the Taskmaster.

"Connie, my sweet child, there is something you need to understand." Topaz said to the weeping child before their. "What you assume to be a mistake, what happened that night, was one of the most miraculous moments in your young life's, you proved to Steven that despite his faults and his failures, not to mention his linage, you saw him as not a gem, but as a human being. Your love for him is not a mistake, but a miracle. If you embrace your love for him, your love for Steven, you will be able to forgive yourself." Topaz broke away from the hug and leaned against the balcony, looking up at the star filled sky. "I know what it is like to blame yourself and hold on to past mistakes."

Connie looked up to Topaz and wiped her eyes. "I know that Diamond was responsible for your sister's death." Connie interjected.

As she did, she saw Topaz's eye darken as they stared into the stars.

"From the moment were conceived, my siblings and I had a purpose to defend the Universe. As much as I tried to be more like my brother, I found more of a connection to Rose, my sister. The more I bonded with Rose, the more I realized that her ideal of protecting and aiding the Universe was a great opportunity. Diamond though otherwise, he proclaimed us as traitors and tried to kill us. If I was not so obsessed with preservation I could have…"

Topaz looked down at their hands, clenched into the wooden balcony.

"…saved them."

Topaz then turned to Connie who had a look of determination upon her.

"Connie, you are the only one who can stop him. I kno-"

Topaz stopped as Connie had her hand extended before the Gemian. She had a warm smile on her face as she walked towards the door, as she could hear the voices of Pearl and Steven from behind it, Connie took a deep breath, and grabbed the door.

The second she turned the handle and opened the door, there was a bright light, followed by the sound of Amethyst calling Steven. The next thing Connie knew, she was lying on a table, with Topaz standing next to her.

**Tribunal Temple, present day**

"Welcome back Connie." Topaz said warmly as they helped Connie to her feet, "I believe you have some catching up to do, right after we inform Garnet and the rest.

Connie nodded in agreement, as she walked alongside the Gemian. Just then, a thought popped in her head.

"Say Topaz," Connie said to the Gemian, "In my dream, you were the Teacher, right?"

Topaz looked to Connie and nodded. "Of course, I thought the name "**To**m **Paz**ali" would be a dead giveaway, I was trying to stimulate your sub conscience."

Connie thought for a moment before responding again. "I can see how that would have worked, but here is my question: If you can easily disguise yourself as a man, then are you…I mean, you are…well…I remember Diamond saying something about finding out one day."

Topaz smiled as they looked forward as the two of them entered a doorway. "Perhaps when this is all over, I will tell you. Now come, we have some training to do."

[*]

**Crystal Temple Catacombs, Present day**

"HOW DARE SHE?" Diamond shouted as he paced the chamber that he resided in. "She thinks she can betray me like that? I will show her. But first…"

Diamond reached into his robe and pulled out a silver colored pair of Gemstones. As he cupped them between his hands, he then tossed them onto the floor before him. The stones began to rise up and form into a grey figure.

"_Haematitem, habita ad mihi!_"

Within an instant, the figure transformed into a tall grey Gem, he wore a black suit of body armor, which bore a gold star on the front. Both his hair and goatee was as black as coal and his eye were pitch black as he looked to the Gemian before him. Upon seeing Diamond, the Gem quickly bowed before him. This was a Gem known as Hematite, who was at a time long ago a proud warrior of EMPE, but now a servant of DI.

"Master, you have summoned me." Hematite said to his master in a toneless voice. "How may I serve you?"

Diamond turned and faced a table before him. On the table, layer Onyx, her body strapped to a table and her chest cut open. The child of DI whimpered as Diamond walked over and began to trace his hand on Onyx's heart, which was a large black Gem.

"I have called upon you because I am lacking in servants." Diamond replied, "Vestibulum has betrayed me and run off to fight with Topaz, Zirconia is dead, Lapis's indoctrination was a failure, and now Onychinos has…other uses." He looked to the Gem before him, looking into her eyes that poured black burning tears, and slapped her across her face. He then turned to the still kneeling Hematite. "I was hoping I would not need to resort to using you, but recent actions have forced my hand. I am hoping you will be able to make up for the incompetence of my servants."

Hematite continued to kneel before his master as he spoke once again.

"How may I serve you Master?" Hematite said in the same tone.

Diamond pointed his hand to Hematite and gestured for him to stand up, which the Grey Gem did without hesitation. As he did, he looked up to see the Gemian once again at the table with Onyx, Hematite could hear Onyx whimpering as Diamond was crouching over here, a small hissing and clicking could be hear as well as well as a sound of slurping. As Diamond rose up from Onyx, Hematite could see Diamond's jaw split open as the tendrils of his jaw retracted to their natural form.

"First, you will go to Insidiae and recover the rest of my Agate army. Then, after I recover Vestibulum, you will attack the Temple. By then I will have enough Vitae to birth Obsidian and destroy those traitors once and for all, especially that little Furem. I will not allow…children…to carry that which belongs to me."

"Of course Master." Hematite said with a nod as he summoned a portal. As he was about to step into it, Master Diamond's voice stopped him."

One more thing Haematitem, I almost forgot to mention that both Emerald and Howlite are fighting with Topaz; will they prove to be a problem for you?

Hematite paused before looking to his master; Diamond noticed the look of hesitation as a black tear ran down his cheek. "Of course not master, they are as good as dead." With that, he entered the portal and closed it behind him.

[*]

**Beach City Outskirts, present day**

[*]

Pearl could not stop looking behind her as she rode on the back of Lion. She was so worried about how Master would react once he found out about her betrayal. Suddenly, she heard a loud rumble which was followed by a louder voice as it boomed into the sky above here.

"VESTIBULUM!"

Pearl froze in fear at the sound of her master's voice, but soon shook off the hesitation and continued forward; no longer would she become a puppet of a mad god, no more suffering, no more death. The death of Zirconia was enough to convince her to do what had to be done.

"VESTIBULUM! I COMMAND YOU, TURN BACK NOW, OR YOU WILL REGRET IT!"

"I am not going to serve you anymore!" Pearl shouted into the sky, and to the one she called master, "I can't do it anymore, you don't control me anymore."

As soon as she finished her sentence, she then felt her neck tighten as she began to suffocate. Pearl gasped as she fell off lion. As she struggled on the ground, she felt her throat burn as she spit up black Obsidian. As the long-nosed Gem cried in pain like a wounded animal, she looked up to see Lion approach her. He then turned his attention to the Gemian that was approaching both of them. Master Diamond looked to Pearl as she tried to crawl away, only to quickly summon his mace to block an attack by Lion. Diamonds then shoved Lion away, swinging his mace in retaliation, only for Lion to doge the attack, and swipe his claws at the Gemian. Pearl watched at the two attacked and dogged each other. It was surprising to see that a pink lion who could teleport could prove to be a match for a Crystal God.

Lion then pounced forward onto Diamond, tackling the Gemian and biting his shoulder, Diamond shouted before shoving lion off. Diamond gritted his teeth in anger as he summoned another mace. He then took both of his maces and swung them together, summoning in their place a mighty War-hammer.

"I had enough, enough of little cretins like you taking what belongs to me." Diamond said to his opponent. As Lion pounced at Diamond, the Gemian dogged the attack and smashed Lion in the face with his hammer. Lion flew across the air and smashed into the ground below him. This time however, he did not get up.

Pearl watched in horror as Diamond approached the body of Lion and looked down upon it. He then looked to his hammer and lifted it above his head, bringing it down and crushing the head of lion into a pink pulp, he continued to bring the hammer down repeatedly, smashing the poor animal's skull into the earth below him. Diamond then dissipated his hammer and turned his attention to Pearl, who was still trying to escape despite the Obsidian that was choking her. Diamond stormed up to the Gem and lifted her up by her hair, punching the screaming Gem in the face before kneeling on top of her. Pearl tried to struggle free as Diamond placed a hand onto Pearl's throat, choking his rebellious servant as he began to unfasten his robe.

"You think you've outsmarted ME? You're the one on a leash; you always were and always will be." Diamond hissed to Pearl as he tightens his grip, causing the long nosed Gem to spit up Obsidian bile. Diamond slapped the Gem in the face before grabbing her by the hair.

"I…I am sorry master." Pearl begged as she felt warm blood trickle down her face "I was trying to…to…"

"Escape? No! That cold hand on your throat is mine. It always was and it always will be." Diamond said drawing his hand away from Pearl's throat to rip open her skirt, as he did; he grabbed both of her hands to pin her down and position himself before her gemhood, pushing himself in and out in an aggressive motion. As Pearl struggled in agony, she noticed a pink flash of light from behind Diamond. Although it was brief, it seemed to emit from where lion was killed.

"You can't escape from me! You were always under my control!" Diamond hissed to the prey below him, moving his head so that it was inches away from Pearl's "Do you hear me Vestibulum? DO YOU HEAR ME?

As Diamond continued to punish his servant, he did not expect the figure that had appeared behind him.

"No matter what you do, I will control you. I have had my control over you since I spawned you. I will always have control. You can rebel, and fight back, but it will only be in vain. You have no means of escape. I am your master and I will always be your master. Do you really think you can escape from me? You are min-"

A large pink blade stabbing him in the chest interrupted diamond's monologue. Diamond shouted in strained agony as he looked down to the sword before him. Within an instant, Diamond teleported away from the attack and reappeared a few feet away. As the injured Gemian clenched his chest, he looked to his assailant, his eyes widened in shock, there standing before him was a figure in a pink jacket of sorts, and He was wearing a pink helmet shaped like a lion and was welding a large pink sword and a round pink shield, both of which looked a lot like Connie's weapons. Diamond then looked to where lion's body was and saw that the carcass was nowhere to be found. All that remained was a small patch of bloody grass and a crystal rose. Diamond then turned back to his attacker with a look of shock and to his own surprise, fear.

"No." Diamond whispered as he starred at the figure before him. "No…NO!"

As Diamond disappeared before the figure, he then turned to Pearl and knelt before her, placing his hand on her chest as he bowed his head. Suddenly, his hand began to glow and Pearl felt the burning in her body began to cease. As she watched the figure stand back up, she then realized whom it was, which caused her to well up with tears. Pearl then stood up and approached the figure hesitantly.

"I…I am sorry…" Pearl said quietly, wiping tears from her eyes as she tried to choose her words carefully, "I never meant to…to."

Pearl stopped as she felt the figure wrap around her in a tight hug, this was then followed by a simple response from the Figure that gave Pearl a strange feeling of reinsurance and comfort:

"I forgive you."

Pearl smiled warmly as she embraced the hug for a few moments; she then broke off from the hug and repaired her clothing. As she turned back to the Figure, she watched as he removed his helmet, revealing his curly black hair.

"Do you know where we are off to?" Pearl asked the figure.

"Of course I do!" The Figure said with a smile as he looked to Pearl, summoning a portal before himself "We going see Connie."

As Pearl watched the Figure enter the portal, she smiled warmly as she felt fresh tears run down her face, only this time, these were tears of joy.

"Welcome back Steven." Pearl whispered to herself as she entered the portal and closed it behind her.

[*]


	8. The Sky

Original Idea by: Scraps

Collaboration work with: Cleverun

Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 8: Like Diamonds in the Sky

[*]

**Greg's Shed, 5 years ago,**

[*]

"Almost finished…." Pearl said to herself as she slowly inserted the final spark plug into the engine of her jury-rigged spacecraft. For a ship built out of spare parts and junk, it was really well built. As soon as Pearl inserted the spark plug, the rocket came to life, Pearl's eyes beamed as she backed away from her creation, taking in the fruit of her labor with such awe.

"It's finished! I can't believe I did it, and all in a barn with a box of scraps!" Pearl cheered to herself, suddenly covering her mouth so she did not wake the two founder of "Universe &amp; Universe," which were sleeping in a van next door. As Pearl was about to open the door, she felt a small burn on her cheek. When she looked in her reflection on the hull of her ship, she then remembered her Master. The only thing that held her back and controlled her, not to mention the one that was forcing her to groom Steven into a sacrifice for his plan of Universal dominance.

"No! I won't let you have him." Pearl said to herself before she felt a chill in the air. As she looked up at the ship, she saw another being in the reflection.

"What is the meaning of this?" Master Diamond said to Pearl, who quickly turned to face her Master. Pearl froze, as Diamond looked down at her with an expression of irritation "Are you planning to leave the Planet, Vestibulum?"

"N-n-no, of course not Ma-Master!" Pearl said nervously, "I was making this ship because Steven asked me to.

Diamond then looked up at the ship and raised an eyebrow, "Then would you explain to me why it looks exactly like a Metalian fighter?"

Pearl looked to the ground before responding to Diamond. "Well…Greg helped me with it."

Diamond looked to Pearl with an expression of shock and anger as her approached Pearl and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up to his face. Pearl felt Obsidian tears pour down her face as she looked into the molten red eyes of Diamond.

"You are working with one of *THEM*?" Diamond shouted at Pearl, the whole barn shook from the vibrations. "I was sure I sent you to wipe out any survivors, WHY IS THIS ONE STILL ALIVE?"

"Wait Master, He is not anymore." Pearl pleaded with Diamond "He gave up his powers so he could be with Rose. Without then, he is no different from a mere Human. That means this rocket is useless. "

Diamond scowled as he slammed Pearl to the ground, turning back to the Rocket and extending his hands.

"One cannot lose their powers Vestibulum; they can only be transferred to another or suppressed. Copper did not lose his powers, but in fact transferred them to that half-child of his. Even more of a reason to acquire his Vitae; Are you aware of the power that a Gemian/Metalian hybrid possesses?"

Pearl stumbled on the ground as Diamond continued talking, she then noticed a large wrench on the ground and reached our for it. As she did, she felt her arm pull back.

"_Come on Pearl, you have to fight it. For Steven!_"

As she reached for the wrench, she felt the tears of Obsidian pouring down her face, burning her as she finally grabbed the wrench and stood back up, facing her master with a look of resentment. As she crept behind him, listening to his speech about the Metalians, she gripped the wrench back and lifted it up like a baseball bat.

"…erased them for that reason Vestibulum, they needed to be destroyed because they were a threat, just like-"

*CLANG*

Pearl swung the wrench as hard as she could against the back of Diamond's head. The Gemian fell to the ground with a hard thud, knocked out cold by Pearl's attack. As Pearl looked over her unconscious Master, she looked at the wrench in her hand; the head has a small splash of blue blood on it, his blood, and her blood.

As Pearl dropped the wrench onto the ground, she grabbed Diamond by the boots and dragged him over to a small pile of junk. She then covered him in a tarp and proceeded to walk out of the barn. As she did, she thought about what would happen once he woke up, what would be the consequences of…NO! That was not what would happen; she knew what had to be done, she would take Steven into space, she knew that Diamond could not leave the planet at this moment, and that taking Steven off Earth was the only way to ensure he was out of Diamond's grasp.

"Forgive me Master…" Pearl whispered to herself as she closed the barn door, "But I must do this... for Steven."

[*]

Steven was asleep on the roof of his dad's van, wearing an adorable beetle sleeping bag. As he slept, he then felt the sensation of a finger poking him in the face. As he opened his eyes, he saw Pearl kneeling before him.

"Wha…" Steven said in confusion, only to be shushed by Pearl.

"Shhh! Want to see something really cool?" Pearl asked Steven quietly; in a tone, that many people would assume to result in a visit from Chis Hansen.

Steven emerged from his sleeping bag as Pearl guided him down from the van, trying her best not to wake Greg, who was sleeping in the back of his van.

"No…don't give him a banana." Greg mumbled in his sleep, "That's what he wants."

As the two Gems approached the barnyard door, Pearl grabbed and opened it for Steven.

"Presenting the brand new ballistic flight capable Universe Mach three!" Pearl said excitedly as she presented her ship to the half-Gem.

Steven gasped with awe as he pointed at the ship and looked to Pearl, who nodded in consent.

"Spaceship!" Steven shouted as he rushed to the new vehicle before him.

"Wait Steven!" Pearl shouted in contained excitement. "Keep your voice down!"

As she watched Steven run joyfully to the ship, she noticed the blood wrench next to her foot, as well as the small trail of blue blood, which led to a tarp beside the ship. Pearl looked at the tarp nervously before her attention was drawn to the voice of Steven.

"Whoa!" Steven said in awe, "It's even got the logo from the van!"

"And if your dad asks, we'll say we borrowed it." Pearl replied, watching Steven enter the cockpit. She then looked back to the tarp and sighed.

"Goodbye Master." Pearl said with a cold tone. "This is for Rose." She then turned back to Steven and smiled.

"If you want Steven, we can take it out for an engine check." Pearl call out to Steven in a baiting voice, she then touched her Gem and her robe was replaced with a Gemian spacesuit. "It'll be quick!"

[*]

The sound of a jet engine roaring in a paper-thin barn was enough to wake good old Greg from his slumber.

"Wha…What the…" Greg said in confusion as he looked around for the source of the noise. It did not take him long to realize where it was coming from.

"PEARL!" Greg shouted as he bolted out of his van, just in time to see Steven and Pearl already leaving the van from inside of the _Universe 3_. Greg watched in horror as Steven waved to his father from inside the cockpit.

"Steven! What are you doing!" Greg shouted as he watched the ship fly into the open sky.

Inside the barn, Master Diamond rose from under the tarp. As he looked around in confusion, he saw the bloody wrench and the missing ship.

"The ship…what?" Diamond said as he stepped out of the barn, only to see not only Pearl's ship flying off but also Greg chasing after it. It was then did Master Diamond realize what was happening.

"You dare escape from me?" Diamond growled as he brought his hand up, pointing them at the ship flying into the sky. "YOU DARE BETRAY ME?!" Diamond then clenched his hand, as if he was grabbing onto something and trying to pull it down to earth.

[*]

Inside the cockpit of _Universe 3_, Steven noticed that the ship seemed to be slowing down, almost as if it was being dragged down. He then noticed that the ship itself was beginning to fall apart, Steven groaned anxiously as he then saw a large chunk of metal fall off the ship.

"What was that?" Steven asked Pearl, his mind racing with fear.

Suddenly, there was a large flashing alarm going off in the ship, the sound caused Steven's stomach to drop.

"Pearl?" Steven asked anxiously to Pearl.

"We can make it!" Pearl said, ignoring Steven and focusing on space, "We're almost there!

Steven looked back out at the ship, he watched as the "Mr. Universe logo peeled off the hull of the ship. The whole vessel looked like it was about to explode at any minute.

"Pearl" Steven shouted as he looked to Pearl, who seemed hell-bent on leaving Earth, even if it meant a fifty-year voyage and a possible demise by rocket explosion.

"I'm gonna show it to you…" Pearl said as she glared into the stars before her, all the sounds around her, the alarm of the ship, Steven's shouting, even the creaking of the ship as it fell apart. All were drowned out by a single voice in her head. The voice of the once she called Master.

"_You. I know you can hear me. When you return, Vestibulum... I'll be waiting. You have not yet understood the consequences of what you have done!_" The voice lowed to a hissing whisper as it flooded Pearl's mind,"_When__ you return... I'll be waiting here... at the temple.__Waiting__...for YOU!_"

Pearl was broken out of her trance by the sound of the cockpit release hatch unlocking and the glass window shooting off, as she felt the cold air, she looked to Steven in surprise.

"Steven! What are you doing?" Pearl asked Steven, still transfixed on the thought of leaving Earth.

"We have to go Pearl!" Steven said to Pearl. "We're not going to make it!"

Pearl could not accept that, they had to escape from earth, from Master; Pearl just could not accept going back, not after what she did.

"But we're almost there!" Pearl pleaded with Steven, looking up at her only chance to save both of them, her only chance to save Steven. She then felt a pair of hands touch her face that brought her attention to the young Gem before her.

"Pearl! I know you miss space and I know you worked really hard, but sometimes, you just got to know when to bail."

Pearl looked to Steven and then up to space. In her mind, she realized that no matter what she did, no matter how desperate she had to be, there would be no escape from earth, and there was no escape from the Master. She knew that all she could do for Steven is help him through his life before…

Pearl sadly nodded before reaching down and pulling on the ejection lever. She then grabbed Steven tightly as the two ejected from the ship, which exploded right after.

[*]

"NOOOOO!" Greg screamed as he saw the ship explode above him, as he prayed for a sign of life, he saw Steven and Pearl's ejection parachute, sighing in relief before slumping to the ground in exhaustion.

At the base of the Crystal Temple, Diamond watched as the Parachute glided down in the air. He then turned around and entered into the rock wall before him.

As Pearl looked down at the city below her, she then looked to Steven with a feeling of immense guilt.

"I am so sorry Steven." Pearl said softly to the Half-Gem in her lap, "I almost got us killed."

"I'm used to it." Steven responded, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you get to space. We'll get there someday, I promise."

"You know, I think I'd rather be here on earth." Pearl said to Steven.

"With me!" Steven interjected gleefully.

Pearl looked back to the temple and though about Master, she then looked to Steven and gave him a half-smile.

"Yeah…with you…"

[*]

**Crystal Temple Topside, present day,**

[*]

Diamond watched the sunset before him, as he contemplated the return of Steven and the betrayal of his servant Pearl, he felt the presence of a being beside him. He then turned to see Rose standing beside him; her presence was beaming, even to the Old King.

"Remember when we came to this planet when it was just born?" Rose said to her brother, who was silent as he watched the sun fall. "I was so naive back then, We didn't need to worry about the Gems, or Metalians, or even our duties as Gods."

"You didn't." Diamond replied as he continued to stare at the red orb in the distance. "Topaz and I did, you just poked and explored this rock like a child."

Rose huffed as she turned to Diamond. "I was still a child then, if you recall, I was born the last. You made that very clear by calling me _Praecinctorium_."

Diamond sighed, "You do know Nostalgia is not going to change anything. Right?"

Rose's expression changed to a sadder tone as she looked to the sun once again. "I don't understand why though, why must you kill them? What good will come from all of this? You speak of order and peace, yet you have declared war and committed Genocide upon your own people, especially your siblings."

Diamond then turned to Rose with a look of anger, "War? No, not war, wiping the slate clean, Make the Universe like it was meant to be: undisturbed by free will."

Rose backed up a litter before looking to Diamond, "Brother, I had to because I would think that in the time without my power, you could see that this would, just like the others, can thrive with its faults. In fact, the faults themselves bring out the best in this Universe.

Diamond scowled before his sister, crossing his arms as she smiled at him. "You are blind to the truth, just like Topaz. I am more surprised that a God of knowledge like them would follow such a thoughtless belief. Perhaps that knowledge will be put to good use when I control it."

Rose sighed as she approached her sibling. "Diamond, I beg of you, stop this madness, there is still time to-"

"NO!" Diamond shouted to Rose as he swung his fist at her, only for her to dodge the attack. "It is too late to turn back! I have worked too hard to control the majority of this Universe; I have the Obsidian Leviathan at my control, and an army of Agates in construction I'll send the Leviathan, the Agates. Bring ruin in my hands until only I stand atop the Tribunal Temple again. I will scour galaxy after galaxy with the Leviathan, rain its walls with spears of Obsidian - with an army of obedient machines behind me. and once I have absorbed your Vitae and Topaz's. I will become as powerful as Gemia herself, and once I erase free will form this Universe, my purpose will be complete!"

Rose saw as Diamond's eyes filled with tears, his expression a mixture of pride and, to her surprise, guilt.

"I will kill or control each and every last one of them until it is only me…alone…in a quiet Universe….a perfect one."

He then turned to Rose, who looked at him with a look of sadness, and clenched his hands towards her, tears pouring from his molten red eyes.

"STOP IT! STOP DOING THIS TO ME! WHY WON'T YOU HATE ME? WHY CAN'T I HATE YOU! PLEASE! LET ME HATE YOU!"

Rose walked up to Diamond and gave a small smile towards him. The Gemian fell onto his knees before his sister. She placed her hands on his face and looked into his eyes.

"Diamond, no matter what you have done, no matter what you will do, I will never hate you, Topaz may hate you, but I am different, I see the good and beauty in everything around me, even in something as warped and lost as you. I know that there is good in you still, and it is the Leviathan that poisons your mind. That is the reason why I will always love you. Because no matter how far you fall, you will always be my brother, as I will always be your sister."

Diamond stood back up and approached a large grave; this was the grave of two people close to Rose, now it was only the grave of one. Diamond stared at it for a moment before looking back to Rose.

"It is too late for me to stop when I have come so far." Diamond whispered as he raised his hand before the grave, "I have come so close to purifying the Universe, that I will not let anything stop me, not even you."

Diamond then clenched his hands and a small copper cylinder emerged from the ground before them. As it floated in Diamond's hands, he turned back to Rose.

"What ever happened to "We cannot both exist? That is what I am more curious about." Diamond said as he handed her the cylinder.

Rose smiled as she looked at it "That is the most interesting thing about life Diamond: even with our live, they always find a way."

Diamond then turned back to the sunset. "You now know that you have to fight with them, correct?"

Rose smile faded a little as she looked at the cylinder.

"This also means that this is the last time we will speak as brother and sister." Diamond added.

"Rose felt tears flow from her face as she summoned a portal, she looked back to Diamond, who was still watching the sunset and then she silently entered the portal.

As Diamond heard the sounds of another portal, he felt the presence of Hematite behind him.

"What have you brought me?" Diamond asked the

"Master, the army is on its way." Hematite said as he knelt to his master, "We will have the Agates in three earth days."

"And the Leviathan?" Diamond asked

"It is nearing the final cycle." Hematite answered, "The Gems will not stand a chance. Your victory will be imminent."

"Leave." Diamond ordered Hematite as the Gem disappeared. As soon as Diamond was alone he approached the Tree that was nearby. Diamond then as he picked a Rose from the tree, which this time, did not wilt in his hand. As he examined the flower, he felt more tears fall from his face.

"_Fortunate ego tam durus habet qui facit dimisisset?_" Diamond whispered As he looked up at it, his mind faded to a memory he had forgotten.

"_Vale, dulces Rose. Donate mihi quid faciam._"

[*]

**Rose's Hill, 14,000,000 years ago,**

[*]

"Diamond! It's this way!" said a small Gem, she had short curly pink hair and wore a white dress, this Gem was known of Rose. Accompanying her was Diamond, only his hair was shorter, and his beard was just a goatee. Diamond moved slowly behind his sister, not seeing the point of this expedition.

"Remind me again why you brought me here?" Diamond asked Rose as he moved up the hill "This had better be worth the walk."

"It's over here!" Rose yelled to her brother "Get moving Dimy,your burning daylight!"

"First, you will address me as Diamond." Said Diamond, who hated that nickname, "and second, I do not see how it is possible to burn daylight, seeing as it is a emission from the sun, which is alrea-"

Okay okay, jeeze, It's a figure of speech." Rose said with a huff.

"You should act your age Rose." Diamond began to lecture, "As a Gemian, you will have more responsibilities as you-" Diamond stopped speaking as he watched rose digging a hole in the dirt. Her dress and suit were getting dirtier with every dig.

"Rose, what are you doing?" Diamond asked Rose.

Rose looked up at Diamond and smiled. "I'm showing my new trick."

Diamond sighed as he pressed between his eyes. "Rose, as Topaz has told us, basically any living creature can dig a hole."

Rose then clenched her hands over her Gem and produced a seed, which she planted into the earth and covered it up with dirt. "No! Not that, this."

Rose then stood up and grabbed Diamond's hand, having the two of them back away a couple inches from the new pile of soil. Diamond then watched as Rose pointed her hands at the pile and began to concentrate. As Diamond watched the soil pile, he noticed that a small plant began to sprout from the soil. Within a few minutes, the plant began to grow and grow, until it turned into a full-grown tree. As soon as it finished growing, Rose ran under the tree and hugged it's trunk.

"Isn't this neat Dimy?" Rose said as she approached Diamond, who was in awe that such a small Gemian could do this.

"This is impossible." Diamond said as he watches the leaves of the tree fall, Rose began to collect them into small piles before slamming into them. The little Gemian giggled as the leaves fell everywhere. As Diamond picked one of the rose flowers from its branch, he noticed that it wilted immediately in his grasp. Diamond tried to fuel it with Vitae, but it was no use. Rose then noticed it and approached her brother.

"How did you do this?" Diamond asked Rose, "What is the spell."

Rose sputtered as she then gave a wide grin at Diamond, "I'm not telling! DIMEY!"

Diamond twitched at the sound of that nickname, only to simply sigh and sit down, as he watched the sun set before him, he then watched as Rose walked in front of him and sat on his lap.

"Rose, get off of me." Diamond said in a annoyed tone.

"You should grow a bigger beard." Rose said, having completely ignored Diamond command.

"Why should I do that?" Diamond asked Rose as she picked up a rose peddle and brushed it agienst her hand.

"I think it would make you look more…awsomer!" Rose said as she looked at Diamond, stars beaming from her eyes.

"Awesomer is not a word." Diamond said as he turned his attention to the sunset, "You should know that by now, you little _Praecinctorium._"

"What does..p…pr…prancing erector mean?" Rose asked Diamond, the cuteness of her question almost made Diamond want to vomit.

"It is Gemian for an immature, compulsive, child." Diamond replied.

Rose puffed up in anger, "Well, if I am a prancing erector, then you are a…um…you're a…a…_Asini_.

Diamond's eyes widened, as he looked to Rose "Where in the name of GEMIA did you learn that?"

Rose smiled widely as she slouched in Diamond's lap. "Topaz told me, they said that if even you call me names, I should all you an _Asini_. Um, what does _Asini_ mean anyway?

Diamond sighed as he looked back to the flower in his hand, he noticed that this time, it was alive and healthy, as he wondered what it was that revived the plant, he felt a finger poke his face. Diamond attention was drawn to the giggling Gemian in his lap, which for some reason caused Diamond to feel something he had never truly felt before.

"Thank you Rose." Diamond said as he continued to watch the sunset. As Rose looked to Diamond with curiosity, she impulsively stuck her fingers into Diamond's mouth. Diamond quickly pulled her dirt and saliva covered fingers out of her mouth as he coughed from the experience.

"Rose! What in the name of GEMIA are you doing?" Diamond shouted at the little Gemian before him.

"I wanted to see you smile." Rose said innocently, "I don't think you can smile."

"Such an emotion is a waste of time and effort Rose." Diamond said as he recomposed himself. "I do not see a point in doing such a worthless exercise." Diamond then looked down to see Rose making weird faces at him.

"Are you taunting me?" Diamond asked in annoyance.

"I'm trying to make you laugh." Rose said with a grin, "Tell me Dimy: what makes you laugh?"

"Annoying little _Pestes_ getting smashed into a pul-" Diamond stopped to see Rose looking up at him, her eyes welling up with tears as well as her lip quivering. In that instant, Diamond panicked.

"Uh…I mean…jokes…yes…jokes!" Diamond said quickly.

Rose expresseion turned to a huge star-eyed grin as she sat back down in Diamond's lap. Diamond sighed with relief as the two of them watched the sun set.

"Okay! Okay! I got one!" Rose said gleefully. "Why did Topaz throw butter out the window?"

"Why?" Diamond asked.

"They wanted to see a butterfly!"

"Why is the spreading lies funny again?"

"No no, it's a play on words. "Butter-fly, get it?"

"Get what?"

"The joke"

"Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

"The Joke, where do I get it?"

"No no no…you…it's a…I…argh."

"Is this part of the joke, because I don't quite-"

"Augh, nevermind!"

[*]


	9. The Apology

Original Idea by: Scraps

Collaboration work with: Cleverun

Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 9: An Apology to Gems

[*]

**Tribunal Temple, present day**

[*]

The time had finally come, after months of hiding and running it was now time to fight back. Topaz, Connie, Emerald, and the rest of the Gems all gathered outside of the temple to discuss a plan to attack Master Diamond and liberate Beach City from his oppressive grasp. As the Gems gathered in the courtyard, Connie stood before them, ready to discuss the battle plan.

"Alright everyone, if we are going to get Beach City back, we need to be precise and quick." Connie said to the Gems as she projected a large hologram of the city through her gem. "As Garnet, Amethyst and I already know, Diamond is using the city as his main base of operations. This means that this city will be well defended by his Agate forces. However, thanks to Howlite, a large portion of said forces are destroyed and the residents were evacuated. This will allow us to engage the Agates without any casualties."

"However, we still need to be concerned about what plans Diamond may have in store for us." Topaz interjected, "He still has a large army of Agates as well as his servants. Therefore, we need to divide up the forces so in case of a trap, we can escape if necessary."

"Question?" Amethyst interjected as she pulled on her new Gemian armor, "Is the armor really necessary? I mean A: I was kicking but in my robes already and B: this makes me feel like some sort of cliche cartoon space warrior! If you ask me, it's a big fucking waste of time and effort."

"It's Gemian battle armor Amethyst." Garnet replied as she leaned on the side of a pillar, her arms crossed as she looked at her Gem sister. "It's designed for efficiency, not for cosmetics. Diamond designed them like that. It will also provide equivalent protection from the Agates. Which will buy us enough time to stop Diamond."

Upon hearing Garnet's response, Amethyst gritted her teeth. Seeing Garnet talk like that made the purple Gem turn to Garnet with a look of anger. She was quickly reminded of what happened during the battle in Washington. She was reminded of how Garnet has allowed Diamond to attack and nearly kill them.

"Okay that is it! Garnet, can I ask you something: why do you not want to kill that bastard after everything he has done? Throughout everything, the death of Steven, the betrayal of Pearl, and even the overtaking of Beach City, you did not even flinch as Pearl held Steven's head, how can you not be angry at the fact that our leader betrayed us? I did not see any hesitation after the whole Emerald uprising?"

Garnet twitched at the sound of that last sentence, she felt her hands ball into fists as Amethyst continued her rant. As Emerald watched the spectacle, he flinched at the word, "Emerald." The Gem then looked to Topaz and Connie, before he noticed Howlite looking to hi with suspicion.

"…and you know what, I know that you are always silent and concealing about yourself, but after all this. How do we know that YOU are not a spy for Diamo-"

Amethyst was cut off by the sensation of a large fist entering her stomach. Garnet watched Amethyst bend over before tackling Garnet to the ground. Amethyst began to punch Garnet in the face before the tall Gem threw Amethyst off her. Connie tried to step up and stop the fighting, only to feel Topaz's hand grab her back. Connie looked to Topaz as they shook sir head no before turning her attention to Howlite, who was approaching Topaz with a look of anger as well.

"Do you know what Master Emerald just told me?" She said with a tone of hostility, "he told me that not only was he the "Second Emerald," but do you know who is his *father*?"

Topaz looked to Howlite and approached her. She quickly reached into their robe and pulled out the still status Gem of Lapis Lazuli. Howlite stared into the Gem before looking to Topaz. A dark grin stretched onto her face.

"Emerald, Lapis, Moonstone, Sunstone…their not you "children"…there you're little experiments…lab rats to study the effect of Vitae modification, and you…you helped MONSTER DIAMOND, DIDN'T YOU?"

"No Howlite, it's not like that!" Topaz objected as they looked to Howlite and the group of Gems behind her, Garnet and Amethyst included. They then turned to Connie, who was confused by the accusation. Topaz sighed as they bowed their head. "I...I allowed Diamond to modify my children, but what I did I have regretted ever since. Although I cannot fix the mistakes I have made, I will try all I can to stop Diamond. That is all that matters now. We cannot just fight over old wounds; rather, we must accept our faults and stand together. Only then will we find the strength to defeat Diamond and save the Universe."

Topaz looked up to see Emerald before their, in his hands, was the Gem of Lapis Lazuli. As Topaz looked into the determined eyes of Emerald, they took the Gem from Emerald and looked at it. Topaz then took a deep breath before lifting the Gem into the air.

"_Lazuli, ad mecum_!"

At that moment, the Gem rose into the air and shot into a bright light. As the Gems watched in awe, Lapis Lazuli, the Gem of water, slowly fell to the earth, only to be cached by Topaz and Emerald. Topaz and Emerald looked down at Lapis as she began to open her eyes.

"Uh…Ma-master?" Lapis whispered as she looked to Topaz, who smiled back at her. Lapis then gasped as she hugged the Gemian and began to bawl into their. As Amethyst and Garnet watched, the two embraced each other. Garnet suddenly noticed a small portal appearing in the distance of the temple. As she did, Amethyst stood up from the ground, brushing herself off as she watched the spectacle involving Topaz and Lapis

"Hey Garnet?" Amethyst said as she watched Emerald join the Gemian hug. "I...I'm sorry for calling you a spy. I…I can't handle this…I would think I could just get over it…like what happened with Peridot. But I can't…It feels like every time I try to believe that this is happening, it feels like it's one big dream that I can't wake up from. But I guess you don't feel the same way, right...Garnet?"

Amethyst looked up to Garnet, who was staring off into the distance, mouth agape, and her glasses removed. As Amethyst looked to Garnet's direction, she froze at the sight before her. There, approaching the temple was a figure in a pink jacket of sorts, and on his back was a certain long-nosed Gem. Soon, the two Gem's sight attracted the other Gems, especially Connie, who covered her hands over her mouth as tears began to pour from her eyes.

"It can't be!" Topaz whispered as they watched in disbelief

"Who is that?" Emerald asked Topaz, only for his question to fall on deaf ears.

As the figure approached the crowd, he looked around before giving a huge grin.

"Hi there! My name is Steven...Steven Quartz Universe. I'm looking for a Gem named-"

Before he could finish, his attention was drawn to Connie, who was storming up to the Half-Gem.

"Connie!" Steven replied happily before getting a huge slap in the face.

"That is for dying!" Connie shouted before slapping Steven again, this time the impact caused Steven to stumble and drop Pearl, who fell to the ground.

"That is for bringing *her*!" Connie barked before grabbing Steven by his coat.

"Wait Connie…uh…she can explain!" Steven interjected before Connie brought him to her face, resulting in a passionate kiss from Connie who then released him only to grasp him in a hug.

"…and this is for coming back." Connie tearfully proclaimed as she embraced her lover once more. Her attention was then drawn to Pearl, who was still on the ground, kneeling before the Gems.

"So, Steven…" Connie growled as she summoned her sword and pointed it at Pearl. "…would you kindly explain to all of us why you brought one of Diamond's spies into our base of operations?"

Steven quickly dove between Connie and Pearl and pushed Connie's sword away.

"If you guys can give me a moment, I can explain everything.

[*]

**Tribunal Temple, Topaz's Study, 1 hour later**

"…and then I stabbed Diamond and he disappeared. Afterwards, Pearl and I took a portal here. Rose told me all about the temple while I was…er…away."

Connie, Topaz, and Emerald all surrounded Steven as he told them about what he went through after his death. Apparently, by what Rose had discovered through Steven, a Gemian is unable to kill another Gemian.

"How is that possible?" Connie asked Steven as she paced the room. "Garnet, Amethyst, and I saw Pearl holding your head! I buried you next to your dad!"

"I know…" Steven replied sadly, "But Rose figured out that Gemians, even their offspring, cannot physically kill one another. I think it has something to do with…Vegae or…Vergai.

"Do you mean Vitae?" chimed in Topaz.

Yeah! That's it, Vitae!" Steven replied, "She told me that before the civil war, Diamond was studying the limitations of Vitae and something else, I think it was called…Ichor.

"Ichor?" Topaz asked, "Is that what he is using the Leviathan for?"

Steven pondered for a moment before responding

"No I don't think so, but he said that Ichor was being used for something else and that Diamond is trying to revive and control Obsidian for his own reasons.

"Welp that is enough of a reason for me!" Emerald chimed in as he approached Steven. "I think it's high time that Diamond learned the hard truth about what happens when you fuck with a Gemian."

Emerald then noticed Steven looking at him funny.

"Um…is something wrong?"

"You're not related to the other Emerald right? Cause she was Diamond's right hand."

"SHE IS!?" Connie interjected, "How could that be? I mean, I knew she was controlling and she tried to destroy you and the others but I thought it was because of your…war." Connie sat down as she tried to process this new information.

"Yep, she was his most loyal servant; in fact, she was kind of like a super servant. Before the whole attack on Earth, she hid in the shadows, stealing Gems for Diamond. She even acquired several of your kids Topaz."

Topaz looked down at the floor before looking back up to Steven before leaving the study. Steven then looked to the other Gems and shrugged.

"So what happens now?"

Connie stood up and looked over to Steven replying to Steven's question with another.

"Well Steven that depends, are you ready to kill a god?"

Steven and Emerald gave Connie a look of disgust at the cornball of a question before the three burst into laughter. Connie then recomposed herself and gave Steven a big hug. Tears poured down her face as she squeezed him tighter. Emerald smiled as he ran to catch up with Topaz.

"I'm so sorry." Connie whispered as she embraced the half Gem before her. "I did not believe that my carelessness could cause all of this. If…if I was more careful…if I could have…

"It's okay Connie." Steven said as he broke off the hug, looking into Connie's eyes as he walked her out of the study. "Neither of us knew what would happen. Besides, I love you Connie…"

"…I will always forgive you."

Connie smiled as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Now come on, let's stop Diamond, and save the world, and then afterward all four of us will be one big family again!"

Connie looked in confusion at what Steven had said. She was about to reply before she heard two voices in her head.

"_Hello Mommy!_"

[*]

**Tribunal Temple, holding cells, present day**

Garnet paced the room as she looked to the holding cell before her. It was simple looking. A large cylinder shaped object with a large chair inside. In the chair sat Pearl, once a member of the very group known as the Crystal Gems until she was revealed to be serving Master Diamond. As Garnet stared at Pearl, her mind was filled with conflict and confusion. She hated Pearl for betraying the Gems and killing Steven, but something inside her objected to all the hate, all the anger, and instead, there was a single feeling, a feeling that Garnet felt for her Gem sister, even after everything that has happened, this emotion was always there.

Pearl watched as Garnet walked up to her cell and opened it. She then walked up to the long nosed Gem and sat on a bench across from Pearl. The whole time, Garnet kept on staring at Pearl.

"Garnet…" Pearl whispered as she looked to the floor, afraid at what the Gem she called a sister would do. "I know that you will not believe me, that you will think that I am still a spy for Mast-…Diamond, but you have to believe me when I say that I had no intention of betraying you, or killing Steven. I loved all of you."

Garnet was silent, carefully processing the words Pearl spoke as she sat on the bench. She looked up to Pearl, and in her mind she saw a Gem ridden with madness, cradling a young boy's head inside a dark room. She then though of their lives together, the fights against the rogue Gems, the moments spent teaching Steven and learning from him, all the emotions and moments rushed through Garnet's brain, until finally the Gem clenched her fists and quickly rose up from the bench. Garnet looked down at Pearl, who raised her hands in defense.

"Garnet, what are you doing?" Pearl whimpered in fear

Garnet quickly gritted her teeth and growled before summoning her gauntlets, only to quickly turn and begin to punch the wall. Pearl watched in surprise as Garnet continued to punch the cell wall. No matter how hard the Gem punched, the wall absorbed the attack, not leaving even a scratch or dent. Finally, Garnet stopped punching and fell onto her knees, gasping for air; the Gem deactivated her gauntlets and pulled away her visor. She examined the construction before speaking to a silenced Pearl.

"When I first became a Fusion, I was made into an outcast by my own people. They treated me like a freak Then the Gemians came, and Diamond liberated me from my prison. He taught me how to use my powers and to be a great leader. He even made me this visor out of his armor so I would not feel so…different. You could say he was like a father to me."

Pearl stayed silent, allowing to Gem to continue speaking. She watched as Garnet clenched the visor in her hands.

"Then it all changed after the Metalian war. He became distant, cold, and pragmatic. He kept to himself and began to study Vitae. But even then, he accepted my company. When the Gem civil war broke out, I thought he died on Insidiae, trying to find a cure to the so called "Obsidian Virus."

Pearl flinched at the words; the very term was used by Diamond many years ago as a hoax to cover up his experiments with Obsidian. It was also used to cover up the intentions of his many servants, most notably Pearl.

"When you attacked Steven during the Celebration of Gemia all those years ago, I sought to find a cure to save you. When I found the location of the long lost Tribunal Temple, this temple, I thought I could find the notes of Diamond and save you."

Garnet then summoned a book within her hand and tossed it to Pearl. As Pearl looked down to the book and picked it up it read "Quod Vetere Regem: Ipsum Obsianas Virus". Pearl recognized the book as a memoir of Diamonds, this book carried all of his notes about the Obsidian and its potential, it also carried a note for Topaz; explaining his plans with the Leviathan and his intent to rid the Universe of free will.

"All the years spend searching for a cure, and all this time, it was a hoax created by my mentor, to explain to me that the Gem I loved was a servant to his deeds. It's not fair." Garnet then placed a hand over her face and began to weep. It was gentle and silent, which was contradicting for such a brutal and powerful Gem. Pearl then looked down to the book again, reading the pages which Diamond wrote his declaration of treason. As she read the not, one line struck her like a arrow to the heart:

"Seeing as Onyx had failed me, I decided to use her to conceive a new daughter. As I said before, this new servant is accompanying Rose to her rendezvous point. Once there, she will provide me an opportunity to acquire Rose's Power. Should her mission become compromised, she would use a false use of a hoax pathogen known as "The Obsidian Virus" to cover any traces of my control over her."

Pearl felt a lump in her throat as tears began to trickle down her face, falling onto the book and staining the ancient pages. As she felt the emotions of grief and regret fills up inside her, all she could muster was one simple response to all of this.

"I'm sorry." Pearl whispered, her words chocked up as she began to weep as well.

After some time, Garnet began to compose herself enough to look to Pearl.

"Why do you do this?" Garnet asked Pearl as she wiped tears from her eyes.

Pearl looked to Garnet; confused by the question she was just asked.

"Every time I look at you, I see what you did to Steven and it makes me want to hate you, but then I..I just can't…I can't hate you Pearl. Even after everything you have done, I still…"

Before Garnet could finish, she was interrupted by the sound of the door to the holding cells opening. As the tall Gem quickly stood up and put her visor on, she looked to see Howlite approach the holding cell, ignoring Garnet's presence as she summoned her ax and reached for the door, only to be stopped by said Gem, who was blocking said door.

"What are you doing here?" Garnet asked the cracked Gem, "Shouldn't you be discussing the upcoming attack with Master Topaz?"

"They are busy at the moment, so I decided to do some errands first." Howlite growled to Garnet, staring into the direction of Garnet's visor with a look of malice. "Starting with killing the Monster's pet. Now get out of my way, or I will cut you down like a tree!"

Garnet ignored her threat, refusing to budge as Howite twitched at the Gem obstructing her goal. The cracked Gem then looked to Pearl, noticing the book in her hands, noticing the words "Quod Vetere Regem", which she knew referred to Diamond.

"Move." Howlite ordered the Gem before her.

"No" Garnet responded, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I said MOVE!" Howlite shouted, aiming her ax towards the tall gem. Garnet did not respond to the motion, she did not even flinch. It was something that was well known about Garnet, that even in the toughest moments, she could keep her cool.

Howlite immediately lowered her weapon as she stared at Garnet. As she did, Garnet noticed that Howlite's eyes were now dilated and hollow; tears began to trickle down her face. Suddenly, a small smile grew on Howlite's face, as it grew; the cracked Gem began to giggle oddly. Garnet then watched as the Gem before her grabbed her face and began to laugh hysterically. Eventually facing the wall, her face only inches away.

"Why do you serve it Garnet?" Howlite muttered as she began to tap her head onto the wall. "Would you rather serve the Monster and kill all our friends, torture them, turn them into monsters and robots and mindless slaves is it that important to you?"

Garnet hesitated, caught off guard by Howlite's erratic behavior. What Smokey told her was quite true, this Gem, a prisoner of war who survived the horrors of Insidiae, was truly unstable.

"Howlite, I don't know what had happened to you, what D-…the Monster did to you, but you know that I am not a servat-"

"STOP LYING TO ME!" the Gem screamed to Garnet, who flinched at such an outburst. "STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP! IT!"

Howlite then turned to Garnet and lifted her ax towards the tall Gem; Garnet quickly summoned her gauntlets and prepared herself. Watching with precise concentration as the cracked Gem before her began to walk forward.

"First Pearl is a traitor, then "Emerald" is a traitor, then Hematite is a traitor, then Sunstone, Moonstone, Jade…and now you. Everyone is a traitor, including you! Of course, given your history with the Monster, I should not be surprised."

Garnet flinched at the mention of those words. In that instant, Howlite shot forward and tackled Garnet to the floor. Howlite then brought her ax up and swung it down onto Garnet, only for the Gem to block the attack with her gauntlets. She then pushed forward and knocked the small Gem off of her, Howlite fell onto the floor, she lied there as she watched Garnet rise up.

As Garnet brushed herself off, she watched as Emerald and Connie rushed into the Chamber. Emerald looked down and lifted Howlite off the ground; the Gem in his grasp was silent, awake but unresponsive.

"Howlite?" Emerald asked the cracked Gem, snapping his fingers in front of her. The Cracked Gem looked to Emerald, her eyes filled with anger and pain.

"Emey." Howlite whimpered as she clung to the green Gem "I'm hurting…"

"I know." Emerald said as he hugged Howlite tighter. "It's my fault for abandoning you and it's my fault for what happened to Hematite. You were right, I was trying to prove that I was as powerful as a Gemian, not realizing what my pride and arrogance has cost me. But I promise you, at the end of all this, we will stop Diamond."

Howlite smiled as she released herself from Emerald's grip, then turning over to Garnet. As she looked to the tall Gem, she then looked to Pearl.

"Release her." Howlite commanded the other Gems, who looked at each other in confusion. "If we are going to beat the Monster, we will have an advantage."

"She's right" Connie interjected "Diamond must have made changes to Beach City after we left, Pearl knows about those changes.

Emerald pondered this for a moment before looking to Garnet, as he did; the rest of the Gems did the same.

"Well Garnet, what do you think?" Emerald asked Garnet, "Should we trust Pearl?"

Garnet looked at each of the Gems before looking back to Pearl, as she stared at Pearl, what she saw was much different than before, instead of seeing an evil Gem in a room of blood. She saw a young chipper Gem, lecturing Steven about proper etiquette, arguing with Amethyst about her manners and maturity, and her passion for Garnet, who she stood by her side many times over. With these thoughts in her mind, Garnet smiled as she walked into Pearl's cell and lifted the Gem from her chair. As Pearl looked up at the smiling face of Garnet, Her eyes watered as she embraced her Gem sister.

Just then, Amethyst, Steven entered the room, Amethyst looked with shock at what was happening while Steven smiled triumphantly, Garnet then turned to Amethyst and extended her hand to the purple Gem. Amethyst looked to the Smiling Garnet and weeping Amethyst before a wave of catharsis suddenly overcame the Gem, who with tears in her eyes quickly joined the hug. Pearl kissed Amethyst's forehead before jolting away in disgust.

"Ugh! Even after all this time, you still lack hygiene!" Pearl exclaimed as she wiped her mouth with her hand.

"Well I didn't have a lot of time with your dad blowing up my home!" Amethyst rebutted as she pointed her finger to the long nosed Gem before her.

At that moment the two of them grinned as they hugged each other once again, reviving the sisterhood that had been gone for so long. After a few moments of hugging and crying, Pearl broke from the hug and turned to see Connie, who looked to Pearl with a glare of Contempt. Pearl hesitated before approaching the Gem, remembering the horror that she brought upon the youth and her lover.

_"Connie…I-"_

_Before Pearl could finish, Connie punched the long nose Gem in the face, staggering Pearl before she composed herself._

_"That is for my kid!" Connie explained before punching Pearl again._

_"That is for Steven!" She continued before punching her once more, knocking the Gem to the floor._

_"And that is for Beach City." She concluded before helping Pearl up._

_As she turned to the other Gems, all of them, even Topaz, stood out of Connie's way._

_"Are you absolutely sure she was a human?" Emerald whispered to Steven, who shrugged in response._

_[*]_

_**Tribunal Temple, Gem Pad Room, present day**_

_[*]_

The chamber was designed to teleport a Gem to any location they desired, just as long as they had a teleport stone or there was a teleport pad nearby, Gemian had no use for it due to their powers, but it still had its uses, such as teleporting a small Gem army to a certain location

Topaz was standing before one of the Gem pads, checking it to ensure stability before use. As they did, they heard a familiar voice behind them.

"I can see the years have not withered your use with technology, dear sibling."

Topaz quickly turned to see a large pink Gemian before them, a Gemian by the name of Rose Quartz. Topaz looked in shock for a moment before reaching out towards her.

"Rose…" Topaz stammered, "Your…your alive?"

She approached the Gemian before her, taking their hand and placing it upon her shoulder. Topaz looked at her shoulder and noticed the large scar that went around the entire base of her arm, the same scar that was caused by…

Topaz quickly embraced their sister in a hug, sighing in surprise and relief that their sister was alive and well. They then broke the hug and looked to her in a mix of joy and confusion.

"But how? Steven told me that you and he could not exist together. He was a part of you, your physical being."

Rose smiled as she sat down on a nearby statue. "I thought the same, it was only when I died did I discover that we could not truly die, no full Gemian can. Not you, nor Diamond, not even…"

With a look of realization, Topaz slumping beside their sister. "Then how can we win?"

Rose placed her hand on Topaz reassuringly. "Even though we cannot die, we need a familiar to regenerate, a being that can carry our powers and Vitae until we can be reborn. However, Obsidian has no familiar, but I believe he is using a Gemian as one in its stead."

"Diamond is a familiar to Obsidian?" Topaz asked Rose, who nodded in response.

"I have talked to him multiple times, and I know he is trying to fight it." Rose explained as she looked over to the warp pads. "This is why the two of us need to perform a _contactum_ and try to reason with him."

Topaz hesitated, thinking about all the destruction and chaos Diamond had brought to the Crystal Gems. As they pondered and thought, Rose stood up and reached for Topaz.

"Whether he is possessed or not, he is still our brother and we will do what we must to save him."

Topaz stood up looking at Rose with an expression of disbelief.

"Rose, how can you still call him your brother after everything he has done?" Topaz exclaimed, "Did you forget that not only did he…he…rape you, but he destroyed our home, killed and enslaved the majority of our Gemkind, and not to mention that he had his own children kill you, your husband, your son, and grandchildren. How can you forgive him after everything he has done?"

"No one is beyond redemption Topaz." Rose replied, her hand extended to her sibling still. "Not even him."

Topaz looked to Rose and then to her hand. Pondering one more, they took a deep breath and rubbed their face with their hand before locking it with Rose's. The two Gems then closed their eyes before Rose began to speak.

"_A__damantino__ veteri Regis primogenito nostram: vocavi, et resurrexit Leonis, topazius exactor, pete tibi. In nomine Gema et DITOROQU, respondetis?_"

[*]

**The Crystal Temple, Heart Chamber (92% corruption), present day**

In that moment, the two Gems opened their eyes and looked around, it was a large chamber and in the center was a huge crystal heart, only it was covered in a thick black bark like growth. As the Gems examined their surroundings, they noticed in front of the heart was Diamond, bound to a large chair and coated in the same black growth.

"Diamond?" Rose asked the Gemian, who opened his eyes to see his sibling before him. Within an instant, the two could see that Diamond's eye color was different, now being silver instead of red.

"Rose…Topaz." Diamond said to the two,. "What are you doing here? Get out now!"

"Diamond, I understand now." Rose said as she approached her brother, "I was right, you were possessed by Obsidian, but there is still time to-"

Topaz and Rose stumbled as the whole chamber shook, imminently after that, there was a thundering roar. Suddenly, Diamond screamed as he shuddered in the bound chair.

"Topaz, Rose…you must leave, your attack may have stalled the conception but it won't be enough." Diamond bowed his head down. "The child, the one he calls furem, she can stop him, but she will need the power, the boy's power… and yours, Rose."

"No!" Topaz objected, grabbing Diamond's head. "This is another one of your tricks, isn't it?"

"Topaz stop!" Rose commanded as she removed Topaz grip, placing her hand onto the Old King's face. "I will do what I must if it means freeing you and stopping Obsidian. I promise..."Dimy."

Then the two Gems saw as Diamond did something neither of them would expect, something that he had never done in so long...

He smiled.

Just then, Diamond shouted as small black lines crawled over his face. As he fought the corruption, he looked back to his siblings.

"Rose…Topaz…forgive me…"

Rose watched as her brother struggled feebly against the Obsidian, as she watched with tears pouring from her eyes, she felt Topaz grab her and shout "_Revertatur_" before she found herself within the Tribunal Temple once more. As she turned to Topaz, she saw Steven, Connie, Emerald, and the others behind her.

"Mom?" Steven shouted in shock.

"Master Quartz?" Emerald shouted in shock

"Mom…in…law?" Connie semi-shouted in shock, causing the former two to look to her in confusion.

"What?" Connie exclaimed defensively before gesturing to Steven, "He fused with me, both ways, the second way got me pregnant, so after all of this, we're getting married."

Rose smiled as she activated the portal. "Wonderful, I am sure Greg will love to hear that."

As Steven and Connie looked at each other in joy, they then realized what Rose had just said.

"WHAT?"

[*]


	10. The Lion

Original Idea by: Scraps

Collaboration work with: Cleverun

Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 10: Lion of the Beach

[*]

**Beach City Containment Camp, Makeshift Gem Camp, present day**

[*]

"We're running out of time!" Sadie shouted as she punched an Agate back, only to be caught by two more. "There's too many of them.

Suddenly, there was a large flash of light, and the Agates holding Sadie were shot back by a large bolt of energy. As Sadie looked to the source of the blast. She smiled in relief at what she saw. There standing before her, sword and shield in hand, was Rose Quartz, with behind her a force from on high. As several of the Gem charged forward to combat the incoming Agates, Connie rushed over and lifted Sadie up from the ground.

"Hey are you okay?" Connie asked the young girl. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't obvious" Sadie scoffed as she brushed herself off, "Were fighting for the city. G.E.R.M was wiped out, so we took matters into our own hands."

Connie then noticed the strange blue colored Gem on Sadie's chest. Connie gave Sadie a puzzling look before Steven came over.

"Steven, look at this." Connie said to Steven as she gestured to Sadie. Steven noticed the Gem on Sadie and grinned widely.

"Say, that's the Gem from the monster we encountered at the Island!" Steven exclaimed as he poked Sadie's Gem. "How did you get that?"

"I gave it to her." Rose interjected as she approached the three Gems. "With the help of Howlite, Lars and Sadie were not only able to escape from Diamond's encampment, but many of them were able to become _Illam Adeptus _Gems in the process."

Connie looked to Sadie with stars in her eyes. "This is amazing! How many of you are Gems?"

Sadie looked around as she watched many of the residents of Beach City using their new Gem powers. Buck Dewey dodged several Agates before luring them onto the beachside, thereby allowing him to stomp his foot and create a small tremor in the earth, shaking the Agates like bells before he smashed them with his flail. Sadie then saw Kiki run until she was cornered by several Agate, as soon as she saw the Agates approach her, she curled up into a ball took a deep breath, and her back quickly grew large spikes. The Agate's back away a few inches, only to be tackled by Buck Dewey, who was wearing a ice-like armor. Looking up to the sky, several Agates were approaching the camp; they were suddenly shot down by Sour Cream, who was firing small cones at the Agates.

"This is for, my dad, and Onion you fucks!" he shouted as he directed several cones to attack another round of Agates.

Sadie then turned back to Connie and Steven and shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I have everyone."

Steven then looked around, expecting to see someone. "Speaking of everyone, where is Lars?"

Rose cringed at the question as Connie noticed Sadie expression change; she looked down to the floor and clenched her fists. Immediately, Connie placed her hand on Sadie's shoulder, trying her best to provide comfort for her friend. Steven then noticed this and responded with a flat "Oh" before Rose directed him away from Connie and Sadie.

"Sadie I'm sorry about Lars." Connie said to Sadie, "We should have stayed in Beach City, if we did then maybe-"

"No!" Sadie shouted, interrupting Connie, "You did what you had to do, and so did we. After you left, Rose and Howlite helped us escape Beach City, however, if Lars hadn't…did what he did…none of this would be possible.

Just then, an Agate swooped down by Sadie, this Agate was red and black and it had a golden head. Connie summoned her sword and was about to strike it when Sadie block Connie.

"Wait Connie, this one is with us!" Sadie objected, "It helped us escape Beach City and obtain the Gems."

Connie looked to the Agate suspiciously before Sadie turned to it.

"Overseer, what is the situation?" Sadie asked the Agate.

"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" Overseer shouted at Sadie, causing Connie to arm herself in preparation, "[THIS UNIT HAS SUCCESSFULLY DISABLED THE AGATE PROCESSING SYSTEM…ALSO, THIS UNIT HAS DISCOVERED THE PRESENCE OF 2 GEMIANS, 2 GEMIAN SECUNDOS AND 35 GEMS.]"

"Good, what is the status with the Temple?" Sadie asked the Agate.

"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" Overseer shouted again to Sadie, once again starling Connie. [THE TEMPLE IS TIGHTLY SECURED ...A ENTERANCE WILL HAVE TO BE MADE IN ORDER TO ENTER.]"

"Don't worry, he's harmless." Sadie reassured Connie. "He says that all the time, but he hasn't hurt a single person."

Connie sighed in relief as Sadie turned back to the Agate before her. Connie then heard the sound of laughter from behind her; she turned around to see Steven hugging a large portly man in a strange metal suit. It was Greg, alive and well. Connie smiled as she watched Steven and Greg hug Rose, all one big happy family. This reminded Connie of her parents, it had been so long since they were…gone, and all the fighting and traveling almost made her forget about them. The very thought made Connie feel sick, but luckily the sound of Steven shouting to Connie to move over to his location.

"What's wrong Steven?" Connie asked the half-Gem as she approached him.

"You will never guess what I just learned?" Steven said gleefully to Connie.

"Steven, I don't think this is the right time to be so casual." Connie said as she looked towards the temple. "We need to figure out a way to get into the Temple."

"That's just it!" Steven shouted, "The temple is built right over a Metalian bunker."

"Meta-what?" Connie asked in confusion, "Wait, I remember hearing that word a couple times, didn't the Gems have a war with them."

"Oh yeah." Greg interjected "Although I can't remember for the life of me why though…Anyway, during that war, we built bunkers on various planets, this one as well, and just like with everything else, the Gems converted it into part of the Temple."

"Oh I see." Connie said, right before she processed what Greg had just said, "Wait a minute…how did…you said…are…you a…?"

"Yes I am!" Greg said proudly as he placed his right arm over his chest. "I am Kopar, 11th squadron of the 4th Division in the Metalian Army. Under the guidance of our Grand Commander Tiberium, I will do what I must to protect this Universe and preserve it's independence."

Connie gave a look of bewilderment at what she was seeing, not only was Steven a child of a Gem God, but he was also the son of the Gem's enemies, what are the odds.

"But…if you fought against the Gems, then why didn't you use your Metalian powers for, I don't know, preventing Pearl from killing you?"

Greg rose his hands defensively as Connie shouted at him. "Whoa there, I had to give them up or Diamond would have killed me." Greg explained "But thanks to Rose, not only am I back, I am back in business."

To further his point, Greg rose his arm up and shaped his had as if he was holding a gun, in that instant, metallic cannon materialized in his hand. Steven gaped in awe at what his father had done. Greg then aimed it at a group of Agates that were flying over the city and fired. A large stream of bronze colored energy shot from the cannon and flew all the way to the Agates, destroying them in a cloud of bronze dust.

"You know, those things were once my comrads." Greg sighed as he lowered his weapon. "Talk about irony."

Just then, Topaz, Howlite and Emerald ran in, along with Garnet and Amethyst.

"Are you all right?" Rose said to Topaz as she approached her sibling.

"We almost were killed, but it was worth it. We have found an entrance." Topaz exclaimed as they caught Their breath, "Nearby the back of the Temple, there is a small bunker entrance. It should allow us to enter the temple, especially with the Agates occupied."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Connie exclaimed, "Let's put an end to this once and for all!"

"Wait Connie, before we do this, there is something that must be done first." Rose interjected, she then looked to Steven and he looked to Connie.

"What's wrong?" Connie said worryingly, "What are you not telling me?"

"Connie, before you face Diamond, you must understand that he is not a Crystal Beast, or an Agate, or even a Crystal Gem. What you are about to face is a God, a being of immense power that has only increased because of Obsidian." Rose then looked back to Steven and he smiled.

"So we will face him together." Connie replied, anxious at what Rose was explaining to her.

"It's not that simple." Rose said as she placed her hands on Connie's shoulders, "As Gemians, we are unable to kill other Gemians, it is not in our nature to do so. Diamond is a Gemian and so is Obsidian. However, you may have the powers of a Gemian, but not the blood of one."

Connie lightly scoffed as she looked to the temple in the distance, then she looked back to Rose. "So your telling me I have to face him alone, is that it?"

"Yeah, that's it." Steven sighed.

Connie then looked to both Steven and Rose; her eyes began to water up as she began to realize where this was going. "There is more to this, is there?"

As Rose and Steven looked to each other, they looked back to Rose and nodded; Connie then placed her hands over her head and turned her back to the two of them.

"No…" Connie muttered to herself.

"Connie, it's the only way you can face Diamond." Rose pleaded, "At this moment, you are only a quarter of a Gemian's power, but if we comb-"

"NO!" Connie shouted, dropping her hands as she turned to the two Gems. "NO…I CAN'T…NOT AGAIN!" Connie cupped her face as she fell on her knees, sobbing loudly. "…not again…I lost my family…I lost you…I lost two of my children…I just…I just can't…"

Steven moved over to Connie and lifted her up. Connie looked to Steven as he wiped tears from her eyes.

"Steven…please." Connie begged silently, her words choked up by the emotions she was feeling.

"Connie, let me tell you something." Steven said as he grabbed her hand and placed it over his heart, "'I'm not going to leave you this time, and instead, I'm going to become part of you. I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself that will be me, loving you and loving being you. Because you're going to be extraordinary. You're going to be a hero."

"Steven…" Connie whimpered as she hugged Steven tighter.

"Just remember one thing Connie..." Steven said as he pulled Connie forward and stared into her eyes intensely.

"Yes?" Connie said as she did the same.

"...What ever you do, do not, under any circumstances, eat a lion licker ice cream. That stuff is toxic!"

After a minute to process the order, both Connie and Steven started to laugh and giggle as they continued to hug each other. This followed with a passionate kiss from Steven, as soon as their lips parted; Steven stepped back from Connie to stand by his mother.

Connie took a deep breath, wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, and began to concentrate.

"I'm ready."

"I know…" Rose said with a smile, "You always were."

With that, both Steven and Rose placed their hands over their Gem and began to concentrate. Suddenly there was a large flash as the two opened their eyes, which began to glow brightly. Soon the two of them became engulfed in a blinding light. All the Gems and Greg watched in awe at the spectacle before them. They watched as the two lights combined into one. Then a voice echoed out of the light, Connie remembered hearing the same voice when she was tortured by Pearl.

"_Sacrificium sustinuisti fecit fortior iuvenum Cleri gemma. Et reliquum vulgus a viribus leo. Utor hac fortitudine prohibere Leviathanem. Tempus est, nisi hic mundus et totum circulum_"

With that the light flew right into Connie, creating a blinding flash as a result, as the light faded, the Gems looked to were Connie once stood and saw what stood in her place. It was Connie, but her hair was longer and curlier. She was also wearing Rose's robe, which showed her glowing Gem. As she opened her eyes and looked around to the awe-struck Gem. She smiled and looked down to her hands.

"He was right." She said to herself as she summoned her shield and sword.

[*]

**Crystal Temple, Heart Chamber (98% Corruption), present day**

[*]

Diamond stood before the crystal heart, which was now engulfed in the black growth. As he looked around he stared at the bodies of the Gemians that laid on two slabs around the heart. These were the other two children of Topaz, Sunstone and Moonstone, who, like Lapis was supposed to be, going to be sacrificed to summon Obsidian.

Just then, Hematite appeared, kneeling behind his master.

"Master, the Agates have been destroyed." Hematite said to Diamond. "The Facility to make them is gone. We have no means to defend ourselves."

"The Agates were never meant to defend, but rather, collect." Diamond explained as his hands moved from within the heart. "However they did provided enough of a distraction, but now the Furem is approaching. You will deal with her, as well as the others."

"Shall I acquire their Vitae for you?" Hematite asked, hesitantly.

"No..." Diamond replied, shocking his servant with such a response "By the time they come to me, Obsidian will have already become complete, and this Universe will be purified once and for all. Now go!"

Hematite nodded as he teleported away. Leaving Diamond alone with the heart. As he watched the heart pulse with corruption, he bowed his head slightly. As he looked back up to the heart, a large eye suddenly opened in the center. Diamond gritted his teeth as he tried to fight the powers that were controlling him.

"No more..." Diamond grunted as he tried to break free. Only to fall back into the heart. "Stop this…madness…please!"

The being before him finally responded to the Gemian, it's voice deep and harsh, the very sound vibrated intensely within Diamond's mind, to the point where it almost made the Gem god vomit.

"_Kotero, ichi ndi chimene iwe ankafuna, kodi sichoncho? Iwe ankadziwa mtengo f'r wathu zambiri ndi accept'd izo._" Obsidian hissed, "_Kamodzi ine unali restor'd anga mphamvu anabwerera, ine adzakantha ndi mavuto iwe ask'd ine kukonza. Chako chonse sadzakhala ndi machimo iwe want'd kuyeretsa. Iwe want'd ine akumuletsa, anachita iwe?_"

"Not like this…" Diamond replied, "This is not what I wanted to happen, the civil war, and the deception to my sibling, what I did to…them…Pearl…you used me to accomplish your own goals…YOU TRICKED ME!"

"_Ay, Ine fopped iwe! Ine deceiv'd iwe! Imeneyi sinali zambiri tinali mu malingaliro!_" Obsidian groaned mockingly, "_Zonse iwe zolengedwa uli yemweyo mu lingaliro: kulenga woyera chonse, free uchimo ndi chodetsa. Izo zimapangitsa izo N'zosavuta kulamulira iwe. Tikadzadza wako mitu ndi wotentheka maloto ake a oyera ndi ulamuliro, ndiyeno iwe achitira enawo, ndipo pa nthawi iwe kuona zipatso za ntchito zako, ndiye ife zomwe ife tikufuna. Ngakhale ine Mufuna kunena, iwo njira yako mtundu perceiv'd iwe ndi ine monga milungu inali zothandiza. Mokondwera pambuyo ine englut chilengedwechi, ndinenso wolawana njira imeneyi ndi ena._"

Diamond eyes widened at what Obsidian had said he could feel his stomach drop at the mention of one word.

"Others…what do you mean…others?"

Obsidian growled in response, "Ine ndikukhulupirira Chimatayidwa nthawi kumaliza, tinga?"

Within that instant, Diamond felt his body rise up and place his hands onto the Crystal Heart. As he did, light began to seep through the growth surrounding the heart. Diamond tried to hold his breath and resist the control, only to feel his mouth and voice move on their own.

"_Dominum Nazare Obsidian Sanctum Magnus Leviathan Serpentem vobis ista quae animam tibi dedi, et filiorum exactoris Gema herself in cognitione et sapientiae hominis! Suscipe eam sacrafice, atque det mihi quod postulo!_"

Diamond then looked to the Gemians lying around the slabs and watched as they slowly dissipated into a greenish mist. As the mist floated into the Crystal Heart, the energy flashing though began to flash on and off, this was accompanied by a large thumping noise, much like a heartbeat.

As the last of the green mist entered the heart, Diamond pulled his hands from the Heart and looked down before him. There, laying on a slab before him was his first child Onyx. Her chest was cut open, revealing a large onyx Gem on her heart, which beat to the rhythm of the larger heart. Diamond then summoned a dagger from the air; a dagger stained with dried blue blood, and raised it above his head.

"_Kumaliza!_" Obsidian commanded Diamond.

Diamond tried to resist the command of the Leviathan, but it was for not. The Gemian was but a puppet to the Leviathan.

"_Ine ndi amene kulamulira iwe Diamondi, ine nthawizonse anali!_" Obsidian hissed, "_Iwe surviv'd Insidiae ndi gain'd wako mphamvu chifukwa ine allow'd izo, ndipo iwe udzakhala achitira pamene ine ndikunena chifukwa ine hest izo!"_

As The Old King began to speak, black tears of obsidian rolling down his face.

"_Obsecro autem vos, Leviathanum magnum Magister ordinis, magnum perniciem atque mundorum vitae! Maioris expresserant invocavero, ordinem regem illa magna serpentem effecta, Obsecro autem vos, agens divinum umbrae mortis positum interminatum fortitudine tua insuperabile! Obsecro autem vos, magne Leviathan serpentem Nazare Obsidian Sanctum potentesquaeso vobis quia, nemo, ego præcipio tibi, ..._"

Diamond closed his eyes as he mouthed the words "_Dimitte mecum_" before he plunged the dagger into Onyx's chest, Diamond watched as his daughter awoke in shock, coughing up black blood and reaching for Diamond, only to quickly falter and eventually go limp.

Diamond watched as her body dissipated into a green mist, just like the others, and as he watched the heart beat faster, he uttered the final command to finish what he had started centuries ago.

"…_excitare!_"

[*]

**Crystal Temple Outskirts, present day**

Nighttime had already fallen on the remains of Beach City. On the outskirts of the temple, the beach was calm and quiet. However, this silence was ended by the sensation of a large green wave of energy cutting through a large number of Agates. As more of them approached the source of the attack, there stood the Gemian Secundo known as Emerald, carrying his swords in hand. As more of them approached him, he brought his swords together and they transformed into a large ax-like blade. He then turned to see Howlite behind him, and as the two of them nodded to each other, Howlite summoned her ax and the two of them began to spin rapidly. Eventually, the two of them became a small tornado, sucking up air and sand as well as the incoming Agates. After a few moments, the two of them stopped, releasing a small shower of sand, Agate parts, and Gems around them. As Howlite and Emerald looked to each other in surprise at their success, the moment was cut short by the presence of a even bigger being, only this time, this being was on their side. With Connie riding on her shoulders, the tall Gem fusion known as Alexandrite rushed into the outskirts, knocking aside Agate as if they were flies. Emerald and Howlite followed suit, cutting down the Agates that trailed behind.

"Were almost there!" Connie shouted to Emerald and Howlite "We can make it. I know we can!"

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, as a defining shriek suddenly shot through the sky. Connie cover her ears, her head feeling like it was splitting open, the other Gems were affected as well, especially Alexandrite, who reverted to her original trio of Gems. Luckily, Garnet was able to catch Connie as she fell.

"Ugh, what the hell was that?" Amethyst groaned as she twisted her finger though her ear, "I thought Greg's snoring was terrible."

"I don't know…" Garnet replied as she helped the disorientated Connie up "But right now, I have a hunch that whatever it is, it's not friendly."

As Connie shook her head and recomposed herself, she looked to her left, and saw Emerald help Howlite up, and Garnet talking to Amethyst, however when she looked over to Pearl, who was staring off into the direction of the Temple, she saw something that rattled her to the very core of her being. The rest of the Gems then looked as well, their expressions changing to horror at what they were seeing, which was the Crystal Temple, but with a colossal black claw extending out of it. The ritual had finally been completed and after billions of years of captivity, the Obsidian Leviathan was finally reborn.

"Were too late…" Pearl whispered as she fell to her knees, tears pouring from her eyes as she gazed into the horror before her. "Sed puniat nos in Gemia…"

Suddenly, from the opposing side of the temple, another claw shot out and planted itself within the earth below, the very impact shaking the ground like paper, causing buildings to topple and the once calm ocean to shake violently. Another defining roar, one that caused the skies above to shake, followed this. The Gems watched as the sky filled with clouds and rain began to pour down, thunder and lightning came and went like cars in an open road. The winds blowing cold air before the Gems. Connie then turned to the other Gems and brandished her sword.

"Is that the Leviathan?" Connie asked the Gems.

"Yes it is." A voice replied, causing the Gems to turn to the grey skinned Gem before them.

"Hematite?" Emerald shouted as he approached the Gem, only for Howlite to stop him.

"Emerald no! He's brainwashed by the Monster." Howlite explained.

"Correction Howlite, I have been enlightened." Hematite interjected with a smile as he looked to the Temple. "The Obsidian Leviathan is the rightful ruler of this Universe, not GEMA, not DITOROQU, not the Gems or Metalian, or any other tyrant, but the Obsidian itself."

"Hematite this is crazy!" Emerald shouted to Hematite, "You are not thinking clearly, Diamond has-"

"Opened my eyes to the truth." Hematite concluded, summoning his pair of Duck Blades, "But I can see that there is no use convincing you to surrender."

"Connie, you and the others go stop the Leviathan." Emerald commanded the young Gem, "Howlite and I will take it from here."

"Emerald…" Connie muttered as Garnet grabbed her attention.

"Don't worry about them Connie, they will be fine." Garnet reassured Connie, as the two of them. If I know Emerald, he has a couple tricks up his sleeve."

"You got that right!" Amethyst interjected "Go kick his ass Emey!"

As Emerald, watched Connie and the Gems dashed off towards the temple, Emerald then turned his sights back to Hematite, who sniggered at the two Gems before him.

"A wise choice to send them off like that." Hematite commented as black armor grew across his upper body, "It will save the Master the trouble of hunting them down."

"THAT'S IT!" Howlite shouted as she summoned her ax and charged at Hematite, only for the Grey Gem to quickly parry the attack and slash Howlite across the chest.

"Howlite!" Emerald shouted as he watched Hematite kick Howlite across the ground and into a rock. As he dashed to her, he was cut off by Hematite, who attempted to cut at him. Emerald jumped back and armed himself, looking to Hematite with a glare of rage.

"Don't worry, the wound is not fatal." Hematite reassured as he brandished his blades, grey blood trickling down one of them, "I didn't want her to interfere with our agreement, you know, the promise you made to me all those years ago?"

"Wha-" Emerald muttered in confusion, before a memory quickly dashed through his mind.

[*]

_"Doesn't that seems a bit arrogant, Master Emerald?" Hematite said as he gave a look of concern. "You have no idea what I am capable of."_

_ "It's not arrogance Hematite, its ambition. I mean, Master Topaz must have a favorite Secundo, and I will prove that I am that Secundo!"_

_ "With all due respect Master, I find that strategy unlikely. I have gone over your records and you have proven time and time again that you cannot even defeat one opponent without the help of Howlite. However, there is no shame in that."_

_ "Do you see Moonstone asking for help, or Sunstone, or Onyx?" Emerald asked as he brandished his sword "I will prove that I am the best, and I know just how to prove it by defeating you."_

_Hematite looked at Emerald for a moment and then smiled, he then clenched his fists and positioned himself in a combat position_

_ "If you are challenging me to a duel, then I will at least go easy on you." Hematite said with a grin. "We both won't use our weapons."_

_ "Fine…" Emerald said as he dissipated his sword and entered a fighting stance as well. "…but there will be a day when we will face each other with full force, and I hope you will expect to fall to the floor many times."_

_ "If you say so Master…" Hematite scoffed "…if you say so."_

[*]

Emerald grinned as he looked down at his blade, grabbing the hilt with both hands; he held it horizontal from Hematite. As he did, the blade in his hand then began to glow brightly.

"So, you finally wish to challenge me to a duel at your full power, eh?" Emerald asked Hematite, who positioned himself in preparation of an attack. "Well then I have only one thing to say to you."

Suddenly, there was a large green flash, staggering Hematite. When he opened his eyes and looked back, there was Emerald, but his weapon was now a single green katana. Emerald also had a pair of wings composed of stone and green energy. As Emerald watched Hematite brandish his weapons, Emerald did the same.

"How about you amuse me with your futile attacks?" Emerald asked Hematite as he prepared to attack.

"With pleasure, "Master Emerald!"" Hematite replied slyly, preparing to do the same.

Within the instant the two Gems, once brothers in arms, now enemies in war, with weapons in hand and potentials reached, charged.

[*]


	11. The Leviathan

Original Idea by: Scraps

Collaboration work with: Cleverun

Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 11: Against Her-Story, Against Leviathan

[*]

**Beach City Temple Exterior, present day**

[*]

Horror, it is a feeling that many people experience during times of sheer terror. Every day there is one living creature on this planet that experiences it. Most of the time, it is related to the possibility of death, other times, it is during a time where one might lose everything they care about. However, at this moment, in this city, as group of Gems watched an eldritch being emerge before them, they had received a visit from both of these horrors.

As Connie and the Gems approached the exterior of the temple, Topaz and Thorn dropped down next to them. The group of Gems looked up at the statue, which was intact save for the two giant arms protruding from the sides.

"You know, just this once I wish the enemy was a bank robber, or a living slice of pizza. But no, it has to be an evil god." Amethyst scoffed as she summoned her weapon.

"Amethsyst!" Garnet said to the purple Gem before moving over to Topaz. "Alright Master, how do we stop this thing?"

Topaz looked up at the temple with an expression of worry, thinking of a way to stop Obsidian. As the Gems looked to Them, they saw Them look down.

"I…I don't know…" Topaz said blankly. "I never fought the Leviathan or learned much about it. The only one who knows how to kill it is GEMA, but she is…gone."

"No she is not!" Connie interjected. "I recall correctly that you are Topaz, the embodiment of The Crystal Mother's knowledge, surely you must know something.

Topaz pondered this before an idea hatched into their brain. "I got it! Diamond is being used as a host for Obsidian, so if that connection is severed…"

"…then Obsidian would die." Thorn concluded as she armed her claws. Dashing towards the temple. "You hear that Obsidian, we know how to kill you, and you can sto-"

"Thorn, NO!" Topaz shouted as they reached out for the arrogant Gem.

Just then, the face of the temple broke open, in its place, a large black head emerged from the remains of the temple; it soon broke away the rest of the temple, reveling its body to the Gems. Thorn froze solid as she saw the great beast look down to her. As she looked into the gaze of the Leviathan, she felt a huge wave of insignificance and hopelessness wash over her. Topaz tried to call her back, but his commands were ignored as they watched the Gem fall on her knees, tears flowing from her eyes.

"All is lost." Thorn wisped as she gazed to the Leviathan. "Azurite, I failed you."

Just then, the great beast lowered his head and clasped his jaws around thorn. Quickly devouring the Gem as well as a large chunk of the beach along with her.

"NO!" Topaz shouted as they tried to dash towards Obsidian, only to be restrained by Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst. They tried to break free, but as Connie stood before the Gemian and looked at them with a look of certainty. The Taskmaster broke down, falling to their knees and cupping their hand over his face. The Gems then looked back to Obsidian as he raised his head. Bellowing an earth-shaking roar into the heavens above. As he did, all the glass in Beach City shattered into fragments. This also attracted the attention of the Gems fighting from afar, who then noticed the large black creature shouting into the air.

"_Ine munakwera anabwera pa dziko lapansi, ndipo ine mapazi awiri anatenga moyo!_" Obsidian shouted, raising his arms into the air.

"I don't know what he said, but I think it involves killing us." Garnet said as she summoned her weapon. She then felt a hand on her shoulder as she turned to see Pearl looking to her with worry.

"Garnet…" Pearl said hesitantly. "If we…If don't make it…I…I want to know if…well…if we are…"

Pearl stopped as she felt a hand press on her cheek, as Pearl looked up to Garnet.

"Pearl…"

"Yes Garnet?"

"…Just shut up!"

The tall Gem bent in and kissed her, Pearl was shocked at first but then embraced the emotions. The two then quickly broke off the kiss.

"Better?" Garnet asked her Gem sister.

"Y-yeah" Pearl responded with a blush.

"Good" Garnet turned back to the Leviathan, who was already attacking a group of Gems led by Sadie. She then felt Pearl grab Garnet's arm and they looked to each other and smiled.

"So not to interrupt your little love fest here, how the hell are we gonna fight a huge monster?" Amethyst interjected watching as a Gem flew above them.

"With a huge Gem of course." Garnet replied, still looking towards Pearl.

Pearl looked at Garnet curiously, until she remembered whom she was referring to, a certain Gem that the three of them had not used in a long time.

"Alexandrite?" Pearl asked.

"Alexandrite." Garnet relied with a nod.

"Alexandrite!" Amethyst shouted as she rose her hands into the air.

The three Gems then created a circle around each other, each preparing to synchronize into the Great Gem known as Alexandrite.

"I hope you have improved on your synchronizing since last time." Pearl said to Amethyst with a smug look."

"I hope that you don't just make us Obsidian's butt buddy." Amethyst replied immaturely, causing Pearl to groan with annoyance.

The two Gems then looked to Garnet who positioned her arms before her and pulled them back, causing her Gems to glow.

"Synchronize…Now!"

[*]

**Crystal Temple Outskirts, present day**

Emerald grunted in frustration as he slid back, having evaded another attack by Hematite. As he stood up, he dashed forward, quickly disappearing and reappearing behind the grey Gem. Hematite however, simply pulled his arms back, which caused a black pulse to emerge from the Gem and send Emerald flying into a nearby building. Emerald stood up from the wreckage and flung an energy blast from his sword at Hematite, who simply smacked the attack aside.

"Emerald, there is no chance for you to win." Hematite said proudly as he pointed to the temple in the distance. "Do you not see that Obsidian has already risen? It is too late for you to top him."

Emerald growled as he dove up towards Hematite, throwing punch after punch, slash after slash, using everything he could think of to attack the corrupted Gem. Hematite quickly and efficiently avoided these attacks. His calculating mind and intellect giving him the ability to predict and counteract the Gemian's attacks. Eventually, Hematite smiled as Emerald charged at him again, only to be shot with a large bolt of energy. As Emerald floated in the air, Hematite scoffed and threw him across the city, all the way into the beachside. As Emerald stood up from the watery shore, he saw Hematite start to approach him from afar, a ball of black energy in his hands.

"This was your ultimate flaw Emerald!" Hematite shouted to Emerald. "You are like a cannon: Powerful as you may be, you are predictable and easy to avoid. I would say it fits well with your arrogance. In fact, I recall that your arrogance is the cause of the Insidiae massacre, isn't it?"

Emerald once again dashed towards Hematite, but as the grey Gem fired his energy ball, Emerald moved upward, allowing the ball to blow up below him and propel the Gemian upwards. Hematite watched with surprise as Emerald charge down with sword in hand. As Emerald quickly smashed into the ground before Hematite, the Gem could only be knocked aside. Staggered by the blast, he quickly channeled another ball of energy and fired it at Emerald, blowing up the Gemian within a cloud of smoke.

As the smoke cleared, Emerald stood in the wake, unscathed by the blast with his hand extended outward. He then retracted his arm and bolted towards Hematite, punching him several times in the face before roundhouse kicking him into a building.

"Yeah, I can be predictable." Emerald said as he bent down, his Vitae supply dwindling. "But that does not mean I can change the game now and then."

Just then, a large beam of black energy shot from the building. Emerald quickly used his sword to block the attack. As the beam stopped, Emerald lowered his blade, only to be shot with a larger blast of energy. This blew Emerald up as well as level several buildings. As Hematite pulled himself from the wreckage, he watched as several signs fell from the sky. One was for a pizzeria while another was for a café. The grey Gem then noticed something in the distance, between the fallen signs. It was Emerald, only his coat and shirt were torn and his torso was burned. The green Gem staggered as he tried to stand up, but he did, and then he armed himself once more.

"Is…is that..it?...Good." Emerald asked Hematite weakly; his exhaustion was now starting to show. "My turn then!"

Emerald bent down and bolted to Hematite, clocking the Gem in the face and slamming his head into the wall of the building behind him. Emerald then decked him aside, sending his body across the wall like a wrecking ball. As Hematite fell to the ground, Emerald quickly dove in and snatched the grey Gem, beating him into a pulp as they flew across the city. Eventually, Emerald directed all his energy into his fist and decked Hematite in the chest, sending the Gem flying until he crashed into an abandoned carwash. Emerald then stood up as he looked down to Hematite. The Gemian glared at the Gem he once called a friend, knowing that there was only one way to end this. Emerald slowly raised his blade into the air to finish off Hematite. Only to feel his arm halted by another. Emerald looked beside him and saw Howlite there, holding his arm, her face was bruised from Hematite, but her eyes looked to him for mercy.

"Howlite, what are you doing?" Emerald said to the cracked Gem as he tried to shake her off. "I have to stop him."

"No! You don't!" Howlite objected as she pointed to the Leviathan. "You have to stop the Monster. Hematite is not the monster, he is our friend."

"Not anymore!" Emerald said as he broke Howlite's grip of his arm. "For Gemia's sake Howlite, he tried to kill us, he tried to kill you. He works for Diamond remember, Diamond brainwashed him. You should know that from…"

Howlite eyes began to fill with tears as she looked to the floor. "I know Emerald, but before I escaped Insidiae, I promised Hematite that I would save him, and as a warrior to EMPE, to you, I keep my oath."

Emerald sighed as he turned back to Hematite. He clenched his blade as he too began to shed tears.

"Howlite…this is the only way…he is too far gone…I'm sorry."

Howlite whimpered as she turned away from the Gemian. As he looked back down to the Gem before him, he lifted his blade again, preparing to strike once more.

"Gemia, see the innocence in this child of yours home. Grant him rest from his burdens and sins."

As he was about to bring his sword down onto Hematite the Gem quickly opened his eyes and grabbed the blade, looking to a shocked Emerald with a curious look.

"Master, why would you do this to me?"

Before Emerald could respond, he heard a quick slash of a blade. As he looked around for the source, he looked back down to Hematite, who was smiling at him. Emerald then noticed the duck blade in his hand, which had a blade lightly coated with dark green blood. As Emerald was about to speak, he felt his throat feel warm and his chest feel wet. Emerald looked down to see that his throat was slit and he was bleeding upon the realization he looked to Hematite again, who stood up and smiled before kicking the Gemian down to the ground. Howlite then heard the commotion and turned around to see what had happened. Her eyes widened with shock as she saw Hematite standing over the bleeding Emerald.

"EMEY NO!" Howlite screamed as she summoned her ax. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

The cracked Gem lunged at Hematite, only to be drop kicked by the grey Gem, who tisked as he walked around Howlite and knelt beside the gurgling Emerald.

"A Gemian cannot kill another Gemian." Hematite said as he looked to the Gemain before him. "But as you can see, I am not a Gemain."

"It is quite sad really, that you, who talked about how you were the best and that your powers were so amazing, and that one attack from you could cut a mountain in half, were defeated by me. But I guess part of that was because of my new powers granted by the Master."

Hematite stood up and looked in the distance as he watched the Leviathan swatting at small specks flying around him like flies.

"You could have surrendered, and then it would be over." Hematite said Emerald. "It didn't have to end like this, with me killing you and all. Did you think this was easy for me? I did not have a choice! I was built from a Metalian for the sole purpose of channeling Obsidian, but then Rhyolite had to escape and I…I had to kill him…my own brother. After that, I had my memory suppressed and I was sent to be with you. I was an outsider, different. However, you accepted me; you were my brothers in arms!"

As the grey Gem continued, he felt his cheeks start to burn; he placed his hand on one and looked at it. He could see a black fluid was leaking from his eyes.

"But then we went to Insidiae, and you recklessly lead us to the eventual death. I was taken and transformed into this. My memories were returned and my purpose was remade. I was forced to gather the children of Topaz and Rose. However, I could not bring myself to hunt you. Now, I know the truth. The reason that Rhyolite, Onyx and I were created, the reason that Diamond needs the Leviathan. This Universe is corrupt, and by using Obsidian, Diamond will stop them and save us. After all, what better way to stop a Le-"

When he turned back to Emerald, he saw, Howlite, injured but alive, with her hands on Emerald. Hematite's eyes widened and he pounced at the Gems, only to be shot back by a small column of energy. Hematite watched as the pillar dissipated to show a tall four-armed Gem with black hair and three green cracked Gems before him.

"Varicite" Hematite stammered as he rose off the ground, "You…you actually did it."

"Yes we did." Varicite smiled as he looked down to the Grey Gem. "Hematite, we know that in your heart, you do not want to serve the Obsidian, and we also know that you want to help us stop him.

Hematite looked to Varicite, then to Obsidian, and then to his black stained hand.

"I…I don't know anymore…" Hematite said hesitantly. "I had been serving Obsidian for so long; my whole existence was for this how I could… I…I think I would be…"

"…A burden?" Varicite said, finishing Hematite's sentence. "No Hematite, you were never a burden. You are our teammate, our brother; we need you now more than ever, just as we needed you back then."

Hematite then looked and saw Varicite with his hand extended a warm smile upon his face.

"Now then, how about we become a team once more?"

Hematite looked down to Varicite's hand and then back up to the Gem fusion. As he did, a small smile grew on his face.

"You do know that I never had any training with Gem fusing, especially with two Gems." Hematite said as he wiped Obsidian tears from his eyes. "This could kill us all, you thought of that, right?"

Varicite grinned in reply. "Yes we did, but it does not matter, for if we do, we will do it as a team. Besides, I am sure you are capable for such."

Hematite scoffed as he grabbed Varicite's hand. "You know, even as a fusion, I can tell that it was Emerald who thought of that cornball."

With that, another pillar of light emerged into the air. Consuming both Varicite and Hematite, replacing the two with a larger Gem in the wake. This massive Gem was known as Serendibite, and as soon as he saw the Obsidian, he quickly dashed towards them.

"Now then, let us end this great Beast once and for all."

[*]

**Crystal Temple Ruins, present day **

[*]

Alexandrite shot several large arrows at the Leviathan, pinning it to the Cliffside. Obsidian shrieked as he began to remove the arrows from his body. Before he could do it however, he was shot in the face by a large energy cannon shot by Greg before Alexandrite held the being down. The Leviathan, overwhelmed by the attacks finally let out another shriek. As he did, small black beings began to emerge from the back of Obsidian, swooping down at the Gems before them.

"Keep going!" Connie shouted as she, along with Topaz, began running up to Obsidian. "Keep it distracted until I can find an entrance.

"Okay!" Greg said as he narrowly dodged a large Obsidian being, which in turn, sliced a chunk of Greg's hair off. "But make it fast, cause we can't hold them off forever."

As Topaz and Connie reached the base of the ruins, which was also the base of Obsidian. Connie looked around for any sign of a door or entrance. However, all they could find it was just stone; there was no visible way of entering the building.

"Damn! The Obsidian must have absorbed the doorway." Connie shouted to Topaz. "We will need to go around the temple in order to find another way-"

Before she could finish, Topaz summoned their large golden lance and stabbed the wall before them, causing the wall to explode and create a huge hole into the temple.

"…in…" Connie finished with a mumble, feeling a bit sandbagged by the Gem God of Knowledge.

Topaz then looked to Connie and gestured to the hole.

"I believe the proper human term is "ladies first"?" Topaz added.

Connie then gave Topaz a blank stare, scanning the Gemian with concern.

"What?" Topaz asked Connie. "Isn't it a custom tradition of humans to-"

"Oh Yes it is." Connie responded with a sigh. "But what about…uh...well...aren't...you...um…unless...eh…?"

After a few moments of silence, Topaz realized what she was trying to ask.

"Never mind then." Topaz chimed in as they quickly entered the temple along with Connie.

[*]

**Obsidian interior, present day**

[*]

It did not take long for the two to enter the main chamber of the Obsidian. Connie and Topaz quickly noticed the large pulsating back orb that resided in the center, as the two approached it. A tall Gemian appeared before them. It was Diamond, only that he was wearing a black crystal armor, and was welding his mace in hand.

"I have had enough, enough of you trying to destroy the order I have worked so hard to create!" Diamond hissed. "It is time I take matters into my own hands."

[*]

**Crystal Temple Ruins, present day**

[*]

Alexandrite and the Gems continued to pin Obsidian to the wall, however, they could see that the Leviathan was still breaking free. As Alexandrite summoned her large hammer, Obsidian broke one of the arrows pinning him and used his now freed hand to smack Alexandrite. Alexandrite struggled as she pushed Obsidian to the wall. As she did, she felt the Obsidian being begin to slice into her back. Alexandrite yelped as she softened her grip, causing Obsidian to break free and punch Alexandrite in the face. As the fusion fell, Obsidian grabbed the ground below him and pushed. The whole ground began to shake as the great Leviathan lifted himself from the temple, standing before Alexandrite, the remaining Beach City Gems plus Greg, and the rest of Beach City. As he looked down to the beings before him. He let out a guttural roar, which was cut short by Serendibite tackling the Leviathan. The Gems along with Greg quickly absconded from the battlefield of the Gem giants.

"What the...?" Alexandrite said as she stood up. "Who are you?"

Before Serendibite could respond, Obsidian shot a pulse of energy that pushed the Gem fusions aside. As Obsidian rose from the ground, He summoned a sickle in his hand and lunged for Alexandrite. The Gem quickly dodged the attack and summoned her flail. Quickly swinging it and hitting Obsidian in the head. As Obsidian fell to the ground with a thud, Serendibite then summoned his sword and cut off Obsidian's, head and limbs. Obsidian then roared as several tentacles shot out of his back, knocking the Gem fusion to the ground. As Alexandrite helped Serendibite up, they turned to Obsidian, and watched as he began to rise off the ground, his wounds healing instantaneously.

"This isn't working." Serendibite said as he clutched his side. "We need more force. Perhaps if we fuse..."

"No!" Alexandrite shouted to the Gem beside her. "A fusion like that is impossible, Gems who did such became unstable or died because of it."

"We have no choice!" Serendibite replied. "We need to buy Connie time, and unless we do something, Obsidian will wipe the floor with us."

Alexandrite watched as Obsidian stood there, watching them. Waiting for them to respond, or, his mind was on other things.

"Alright…" Alexandrite replied as she readied herself. "Let's do this."

[*]

**Obsidian interior, present day**

Quickly, the Old King lunged at the two other Gems, Topaz quickly dodged the attack as they tried to stab Diamond with their lance. Diamond avoided the attack as he swung his mace downward and knocked Topaz to the floor. Connie then pounced at Diamond and grabbed him from behind. Diamond then slammed his back and Connie into the wall behind him. He continued to do this until Connie fell off the Old King and onto the floor. As Connie tried to stand up, she felt a hand grab her scalp and lift her up. Connie screamed as Diamond held her. Topaz then swung their lance at Diamond, causing the Gemian to drop Connie and block the attack with his armor.

"Obsidian, I know that you are controlling my brother." Topaz said to the corrupt Gemian before him. "You may be powerful, but we can see though your lies."

Diamond pushed Topaz back before he turned to block another attack by Connie, who in turn blocked an attack by Diamond. The Old King then summoned another mace and used it to block Topaz's attack. Diamond was now pinned by both Connie and Topaz.

"We also know that Diamond is your host body." Connie added as she shifted her shield into Diamond. "Should we sever your connection to him, your power will be no more."

Diamond looked to Connie and then to Topaz, he then looked down and his whole body began to glow.

"My connection cannot be severed!" Diamond hissed as he began to glow brighter. "I am a God! MY POWER IS INFINITE!"

With that, Diamond created a huge energy pulse, sending Connie and Topaz flying into the walls around the chamber. Diamond staggered for a bit before falling onto his hands and knees, gasping for breath. Connie then staggered up and limped over to Topaz. As she knelt to the Gemian, she turned them over. Seeing a large cut on their chest. Suddenly, a though dashed into her head.

"_I have the powers of Rose and Steven, which means…_"

Without hesitation, Connie inhaled and spat onto her hand; rubbing her hands together, she placed them onto Topaz's wound. Topaz flinched in pain, as they would healed up. The Taskmaster then awoke, rising up as they looked to Connie.

"Connie." Topaz said in relief. "Thank Gemia you're alright."

"Topaz, listen to me, you have to get out of here and get the Gems to safety." Connie said to Topaz. "I am the only one who can stop Obsidian. But should I fail, you need to help the others."

"But Connie…" Topaz objected, placing a hand on Connie's shoulder. "…you cannot face two Gods alone, he will kill you!"

"But I'm not alone." Connie said warmly as she placed a hand on her stomach. "Not this time."

The two Gems looked back and saw Diamond begin to stand up. Connie then summoned her blade and stabbed the wall, blowing a hole in the side of Obsidian.

"Now go!" Connie commanded Topaz.

Topaz looked to the hole as they moved through it. As the Taskmaster reached the edge, they looked back and saw Connie, shield and sword in hand. Topaz also saw what they though was Rose Quartz and the half-Gem Steven beside her. Topaz smiled as they jumped off the side of Obsidian, the hole closing up behind them.

Connie turned and saw the hole she made close up, satisfied that the Gems would be safe from harm. She then turned back to Diamond, who was now standing tall, his eyes pitch black and with a mace in hand.

"At last, the Furem has come to die." Diamond exclaimed with a snarl. "You have been a thorn in my side for too long!"

"Look, before we do this, could you stop with the charade of "free will is the enemy"?" Connie said mockingly as she positioned herself. "I know that you are Obsidian and that you are controlling Diamond. I also know that all you want to do is destroy the Universe, not control it. To be honest, if you wanted to remove free will, you would have to also apply that to yourself."

"Diamond growled as he raised his free hand and summoned a black sickle. "I am surprised it took you so long to figure that out." Diamond said to Connie. "Of all the species I have consumed in a vast amount of Universes, this one will be my personal favorite. But before that, I will have to deal with you, little Furem."

Connie nodded as she brought up her sword and shield. "Well from your record so far, you would have to understand if I don't believe you."

Diamond growled in anger as brandished his weapons and lunged at his opponent. "No more words defend yourself or perish!"

Connie quickly dodged the attack as she brought the sword down onto the Gemian, only for him to roll out of the way and fling his mace's head at Connie. As Connie blocked the attack, Diamond dashed over and kicked the shield, hitting Connie in the face and dropping her to the floor. Connie quickly rose up; her nose trickling blood a she brought up her blade one more.

"Is that all you got?" Connie scoffed to Diamond, spitting out blood as she lifted her weapons "I had more of a challenge with my Agate hologem, and that was way before you attacked me."

Diamond shouted as he lunged into the air, mace and sickle in hand, and lunged again at Connie. This time, Connie blocked the attack and pushed forward, knocking the Old King back. Diamond flipped to recover as he shot a wave of energy from his sickle at Connie. As she blocked this, she quickly swung her blade back. Slashing Diamond's in the face and causing him to drop his mace.

"Ah!" Diamond shouted Connie, placing his hands over his face. "You little Canem!"

As his limb regenerated, he felt a sharp slash in his back. When he turned to the source of the attack, she was attacked again, cutting Diamond in the abdomen. The pain of the attacks caused Diamond to lose grip of his weapons and drop to the floor, feeling the Vitae drain from his body. As he looked up, she saw Connie walking towards her, brandishing a bloody sword and a cold stare.

"Is this what you waited for?" Diamond asked as he tried to stand up, only to stumble onto his back. "To finish me off? To avenge your loved ones and save your people? Then finish it, kill me, end this cycle once and for all."

Connie glared as she stared down at the bleeding and weakened Gemian before her. However, she did not lift her weapons. Instead, she dissipated them.

"No, I won't." Connie replied to Diamond. "My battle is with Obsidian, not you, and I know how to save you. I promised your sister that I would."

"Save me?" Diamond scoffed to the Gem girl before him. "Look at me! I was the leader of the Crystal Guardians, the Old King. Now I am a puppet, a shell of a Gemian. If you want to kill Obsidian, then you must kill me!"

Connie pondered this for a moment, thinking of what she could do. Just then, the whole chamber shook and there was a loud roar.

[*]

**Crystal Temple Ruins, present day**

[*]

The two Gem fusions stood up and raised their arms into the air. In an instant, the two began to become pure energy and start to fuse. In this instant, Obsidian rose from the ground and sliced the energy mound with his sickle. The energy, cut by the Leviathan before it, warped and faded until all that was left was a group of six Gem lying on the ground. Injured from the fighting and exhausted from using their Vitae, the Gems looked up to see Obsidian towering above them. The jaded God looking down upon them with one single glowing eye.

"_Numakula iwe kuona mmene vane wako kulimbana?_" Obsidian bellowed as he raised his hands into the air, triumpent over his victory."_Ine ndine Mulungu, Mulungu woona! Ine ndi amene creat'd Gemia lako kotero call'd "Crystal amayi". Kodi iwe kuyembekezera kuti asiye ndi injini chiwonongeko monga ine?_"

The Leviathan then knelt down to the Gems before him, and although they could not see it, it almost looked like he was smiling at them, smiling over his victory over this world and soon the Universe.

"_Ngakhale ndimasirira wako chifundo ndi zikhumbo kupulumutsa wako chonse, monga ambiri 'asanafe iwe, ine Mufuna anon adzaswa anga mbali ndi amati zanga._"

As Obsidian reached down to the Gems, each of them braced themselves for the worst. Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst grabbed each other's hands while Howlite, Hematite and Emerald did the same. However, just as Obsidian was about to grab them, he stopped completely, like a machine that ran out of power. As the Gems began to get up weakly, they looked up to Obsidian with confusion.

"Wait, what just happened?" Amethyst said as she moved closer to Obsidian.

"It must be Connie and Topaz." Hematite interject, his presence startling Amethyst and Pearl before Emerald reassured them. "They are fighting Diamond inside of Obsidian, and I'm guessing that Diamond is losing.

"Come on, he have to help them." Garnet responded, trying to summon her weapons before stumbling. Pearl quickly ran over and supported the tall Gem.

"We used too much Vitae." Howlite said weakly. "We would only get in the way."

Just then, the Gems heard the sound of propellers as a duo of military helicopters began to land around them. The helicopters were large and had an insignia with the letters G.E.R.M written on them. As the Gems prepared for an attack. The choppers opened and from one of them, a tall operate with grey hair who was wearing a military suit with the word "Manson" over his left breast pocket, emerged from the vehicle and rushed over to the Gems.

"Are any of you Connie Maheswaran?" the General asked the group before him, several solders emerged from the choppers and approached the Gems. "I need to speak with her regarding…that!" the General pointed to the tall Obsidian.

"Connie is inside Obsidian and is trying to destroy it." Pearl replied to the General. "So far we have been trying to keep it contained in Beach City."

"Of course!" The General looked up at Obsidian and sighed. "First this town is attacked, then an alien ship crashes on earth, and now our entire planet is under attack by giant...eh...black men."

He quickly looked over to Garnet. "No offence mam."

"Why?" Garnet asked, oblivious to what the General meant by that.

Just then, there was a loud bang as the Gem noticed a large hole open up in the side of Obsidian. The Group of Gems and solders watched as Topaz appeared in the hole look back for a moment, and then jump down to the beachside. They then looked back up at the hole and watch as it closed up.

"_Gema suscipiet eam._" Topaz said to themself as they placed a hand over their chest. Topaz then turned around and saw the group of Gems and solders. they approached them with curiosity.

"Master Topaz, you're okay!" Howlite exclaimed as she approached the Gemian.

"Yes, thank you for everything." Topaz responded before looking back to Obsidian, who was sill immobile.

"Where is Connie?" Pearl asked Topaz. "Is she all right."

Topaz hesitated before responding.

"Connie stayed behind to deal with Obsidian." Topaz relied. "She asked me to help evacuate the city if she can't."

"No need to do such." The General interjected. "We have already evacuated your Gem friends during the fight. However, I was wondering where those two giant Gems went off to?"

Topaz blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry but, who are you?"

"General Marmaduke Manson the Second" the General replied sternly. "I have been tasked with leading G.E.R.M with evacuation of this city.

"Yeah, they helped me rescue the citizens from Beach City before our attack." Howlite interjected.

Suddenly, there was a loud roar, as the group looked to Obsidian; they knew it was only a matter of time before he focused his attention on them.

"Okay, let move out!" the General shouted as he raised his hand into the air. "Get these Gems to the rendezvous point."

The solders escorted the Gems into the helicopters; Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl went into one, while Howlite, Emerald, Hematite, and Topaz went into another. As Topaz sat down in the chopper, they noticed Hematite sitting across from him.

"Good to see you Hematite." Topaz grinned warmly at the grey Gem.

Hematite nodded slightly in response as Emerald patted him on the shoulder. The Gem looked to Emerald and then to Howlite, who grinned warmly at their friend they lost so many years ago. The General then stepped in the helicopter and sat beside Topaz. Giving a thumb up to the pilot, the chopper began to whirl to life and rise into the air. The Gems looked down to see what remained of Beach City. What was once a lively city filled with people and life was now a desolate war zone. Garnet and Amethyst stared down at the ruins of the city, reminded of when they evacuated the city a long time ago, only this was worst. They then saw Obsidian, still as a statue. Garnet could still sense the energy of Connie from inside Obsidian, placing her hand on the glass as the city fell out of view.

[*]

**Obsidian Interior, present day**

[*]

"Kill me…KILL ME!" Diamond commanded the Gem before him.

"No!" Connie shouted back. "I won't."

Diamond scowled at Connie as she turned her attention to the large pulsating object in the center of the chamber. She realized that this was the crystal heart, which was providing the Vitae for Obsidian. As she was about to summon her blade, Diamond's voice caught her attention.

"Need I remind you that I was the one that caused the death of your precious mate and his family? I butchered his father while he was still alive. I forced him to devour your child. Not to mention that it was I who killed your children…along with your parents. Or have you forgotten them already?"

Connie flinched as the memories returned to her, the sight of Pearl holding Steven's head, the sound of her parents calling her name as the Agates cut them down, the pain of when Diamond killed her child. She then looked to Diamond and felt the compulsion to attack him. She felt the hate rise in her body, the desire to torture him for all the pain he has wrought upon her.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were not so upset after all this time. After all…"

Diamond tilted his head at Connie, knowing that his comments were rattling her.

"…everyone makes mistakes, right?"

*snap*

Connie grabbed the Gemian by the neck and slammed his head into the ground. As his head cracked the floor below them, Connie grabbed him by the hair and punched him in the face. Diamond gasped as he let out a fog of black smoke from his mouth, a strained gasp emerged from the Old King.

Connie watched the smoke clear before she lifted Diamond again and punched him again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again.

Eventually, Connie stopped; she dropped the Gemian and rose from the ground, her hands sore and her knuckles bloody, stained with blood mixed from Gemian and Human. As she caught her breath, she looked down to the Gemian below her. His face was bloody, and his nose was broken. Several of his teeth were knocked out and scattered around him. Connie then felt her left hand sting as she lifted it up to examine it. She noticed the tooth that was stuck in one of her knuckles and she pulled it out. As she looked at it, she looked back to Diamond, who then gasped loudly as he looked hazily at the Gem who attacked him.

"Fi...finish…it..." Diamond gasped, spitting out blue blood and a tooth.

Connie bent down to Diamond and lifted his head up; she then opened his mouth and spit into it before dropping him. She watched as Diamond convulsed and shuttered as he wounds healed. Diamond then felt his stomach burn as he began to vomit black bile. As soon as he stopped vomiting, he gasped as he looked to Connie, his eyes a deep silver and his face healed and repaired. Diamond then looked to Connie with an expression of shock.

"You did it, you actually did it." Diamond said as he looked to his hands. "But why? After everything I did, you still showed mercy."

Connie sighed as she helped the Gemian onto his feet. "First: Let me make this clear that I still don't trust you." Connie said as she pointed to Diamond. "Second: I got my satisfaction from beating you into a pulp."

Diamond nodded in agreement, as he rubbed his jaw with his hands. "Clearly…"

"…And third:" Connie said as she looked down to her Gem. "It was because of them. When I first obtained Rose's power I wanted to stop you, to kill you for all that you had done, but now. I see the truth. You are just like me, we both made a huge mistake that altered our lives and changed us. Both of us became so obsessed with the past that we could not let go of our mistakes. If I had killed you, then I would not have changed. I cannot change the past, but I can make a better future, and part of that is to be a better Gem." Connie then approached Diamond and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If I can forgive Pearl, then I can forgive you as well."

Diamond felt tears fall from his face as he grasped the Gem into his arms. Connie stood there awkwardly patting the Gemian on the back as he wept.

"I am sorry." Diamond said to Connie. "Sorry for all the pain I wrought onto you."

Connie broke the hug and smiled to the Gemian, who in turn, with a little hesitation, smiled back.

Connie and Diamond then looking back at the Obsidian heart. As they approached it, Connie slowly placed her hands over her stomach and summoned a knife into her hands. The knife was old and its blade was stained red. As she looked to it, she then looked back to the heart.

"This knife was used to change my life." She said to Diamond, holding the knife in her hands. "Your daughter used it to rip my child out of my womb, and then used it to butcher Steven."

Diamond watched as she placed her hand over the heart. A low growl was heard as a large eye suddenly opened on the heart. It instantly noticed Diamond, who was free from its centuries of control.

"_YUDASI!_" Obsidian shouted as he tried to attack them. However, nothing seemed to happen, there was rumbling of the chamber, but nothing else. "_Chimene iwe wandichitira ine_?"

"Without a host you have no power, like a toy without batteries." Diamond explained to Obsidian. "I am free of your control, and now you will fall Obsidian, you will fall for all the death and destruction you have caused."

Obsidian hissed loudly as the chamber shook. "_Numakula iwe Musaiwale Mbuye Daimondi, kuti ine ndi yekhayo amene angaletse Tiberium ndi asilikali ake? Ngati iwe kundipha, ndiye iwe adzakhala wosangalala wako mitundu ndi ake!_"

Diamond paused at this moment, looking to Connie before looking back to Obsidian. Diamond stood aside as Connie approached the heart. As she stared into the eye of the Leviathan, she looked at him with a smile.

"You know, there was a time when I would have feared you." She said to Obsidian. "Where I would have begged you for mercy or submitted to you. However, that was before I became a Gem. Now look where we are, and who has whom at their mercy?"

"_Iwe angayerekeze kuponya pa ine? Muli kanthu moo chabe furem!_" Obsidian hissed, looking to Diamond who was beside Connie, glaring at him. This sight made the Leviathan shriek with anger.

"So in a way, when you killed my family, tortured me, and destroyed my home…" Connie continued, ignoring the bleats of rage from Obsidian. "…you just fucked yourself over."

"_Iwe sungakhoze kundipha! Ine ndine mulungu, ine ndi Mulungu wanu!_" Obsidian hissed in desperation, knowing that without his host, there was no way for him to defend himself. "_Weake Ine ndi akulamulira, ine ndi nthawizonse mu ulamuliro!_"

"SINDINE SUPOSS'D KUFA!"

Connie raised the blade before the heart. Reminded a certain moment that seemed very familiar.

"I'm sorry about this, but you shouldn't be so upset after all…"

"…Everyone makes mistakes."

Connie plunged the dagger into the heart of Obsidian. Black fluids poured from the wound as she dragged the knife downwards, causing black flesh and energy to pour out of the cut heart. Obsidian let out a defining scream as its eye darted around the room. Diamond then ran over and picked up the sickle from the ground before he tossed it at Obsidian's eye. The sickle shot through the eye, popping it like a grape and causing Obsidian to scream even louder. As he continued to bleed and scream, the chamber began to break apart. Diamond ran over to Connie as the two of them jumped back. Obsidian gave one final shriek before the whole ceiling crumbled above them. There was no way to make an exit without crushing them both.

"Connie, hold on to me." Diamond shouted as Connie grabbed the Old King. "I pray that this still works."

Diamond then lifted his hand into the air and shouted "_Chalcos, protegendum nos!_" As soon as he did, a silver light surrounded the two of them. Then a large snake emerge from the ground. It was silver in color and had two sets of eyes and three sets of fangs. It quickly wrapped itself around the two Gems.

Outside, the body of Obsidian crumbled like a stone statue. A faint wailing could be heard as it crumbled into the sands below.

[*]


	12. The Drag

Original Idea by: Scraps

Collaboration work with: Cleverun

Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 12: Drag me to Insidiae

**Maheswaran**** Residence, 5 hours later**

[*]

Connie awoke to the sound of her alarm buzzing annoyingly. Connie sat up anxiously as she opened her eyes and looked around. She was back in her room, back in her house. Connie moved to her window and opened it. She saw Beach City, intact and full of life. Everyone was moving a talking. She then sat back onto her bed and looked down at her shirt. She lifted her shirt to see that she was neither pregnant, nor Gem. As she looked up in confusion, she saw her mother pop her head in from the hallway.

"Oh Connie you were awake." Priyanka said happily, "Come on, I just made breakfast."

Connie hesitated before she entered the hallway, everything was normal, no Agates, no dead bodies. It was as if nothing had changed.

"Was it all a dream?" Connie asked herself before she pinched herself; there was no reaction, no change.

"No…:" Connie whispered as she entered the kitchen. There was her father, sitting at the table with a newspaper and coffee, and her mother was at the stove. Doug then put the newspaper down and smiled at Connie.

"Everything alright Connie?" Doug asked his daughter.

"Yeah Dad, I just had a crazy dream." Connie sighed as she rubbed her head. "It was terrible, Steven and his Dad were killed by Pearl, and then I was…attacked as well. Then there were s Gems who helped us fight a Gem God. The strangest part was it felt like months, almost a year."

Doug moved over to Connie and he patted her on the head. "Well, that sounds like quite the adventure."

"You know this is because she hangs out with that Steven boy." Priyanka chimed in as she placed a glob of scrambled eggs on Connie and Doug's plates. "It's because of his weird family that she is having these nightmares."

"Now Priyanka, Connie can't control her dreams." Doug replied as his attention to his newspaper. "You have had your fair share of nightmares when you started as a surgeon."

Priyanka blushed as she returned to the stove.

"You know Connie; I bet you could make a great story out of this dream." Doug said to Connie as he picked up his newspaper.

"Yeah…" Connie sighed as she looked down to her eggs. Grabbing a fork and digging them in.

"Imagine it Priyanka." Doug chuckled as he continued to read the newspaper. "A story about Connie, fighting for her life and her friends, fending off against the massive Leviathan. No hesitation, no mercy! Would be quite a read, wouldn't it?"

Connie stopped and looked up to her Dad, his face covered by the newspaper.

"Yes it would." Connie said tensely. "Except I never told you about the Leviathan."

Connie heard all the sound in the room stop. Everything was quiet, so quiet that Connie could hear her heartbeat. She watched as the sun that poured from the windows faded away, and the warmth of the room turn ice cold. Connie then slowly approached Doug and looked behind the newspaper.

"Dad?"

There was Doug, still holding the newspaper, but he was dead, his head was split open and there were flies buzzing around his corpse. Connie gasped in shock and turned to Priyanka, who was impaled through the chest by the stove, which turned into an Agate. Connie then stumbled as she placed her hand onto the table. She felt the wet flesh as she looked at her bloody hand. Connie then looked to the table and saw the rotting fetuses on the table before her. Connie backed away before the fetuses lifted their head and looked to Connie.

"Mama, where are you going?" One fetus asked her.

"Mama, it hurts." The other one interjected.

Connie covered her mouth with her hands before she darted to her room. As she raced down the hallway, the hall expanded and expanded. Connie ran as fast as she could until she finally reached the door. However, as she grabbed it, she could not open the door; suddenly she heard a voice singing from the other side. The voice sounded like Pearl's.

"_When the moon is full…_" Connie heard a sawing noise from the other side.

"…_and I've pried…_" She heard the sound of flesh whimpering and then a snapping noise.

"…_I'll take up you guts…_" Connie heard more cutting and more muffled whimpering, she tried to open the door, but it would not budge.

"…_to the little shed outside…_" There was an audible slice and a dripping noise, before a sound of a box opening and a dumping of items before the box was slammed shut.

"…_I'll pretend that I'm blind in one eye __and I'll hide it in you__…_" She then heard a gurgling noise followed by more cutting and slicing. It became clear to her that what was happening behind the door had to do with Pearl's killing of Steven. At this realization, she rammed the door with her shoulder, but alas, it was no use. Connie screamed for Pearl to stop, but it was pointless as the Gem behind the door continued to sing.

"_It's like your head is crumbled __and hiding in you._" Connie then heard a sawing noise as well as a constant chant of "I forgive you" repeatedly until…

*thud*

Connie broke down in tears as she fell to her knees. Just then, she heard the door click and she stood back up. As she opened the door. There standing before her was a tall pitch black being. It was featureless, save for one eye. Instantly, the being grabbed Connie and moved its head before the girl, it's eye flashing a blinding light.

"CONNIE!"

[*]

**Unknown Location, date of time unknown**

[*]

Connie struggled as she opened her eyes, seeing before her Master Diamond, the Gemian that was beside her when she kill Obsidian. Diamond backed away as Connie looked around in confusion. The two of them were within a metal room with no windows or any sources of light other than a strange looking lamp on the ceiling and the door, which had a blue field of energy going through it. There were two beds of strange design on each side, with Connie laying on one of them. There was also a strange bowl-like device, which one would assume to be a toilet.

Connie then turned her attention to Diamond as he sat on the other bed. She noticed that he was wearing a light-red jumpsuit with strange letters on it. As she looked down, she saw that she was wearing the same suit as well. There were also two strange shackles on their arms.

"It is about time you woke up." Diamond said with a sigh. "You have been out for some time."

Connie looked around as she tried to stand up, only to feel a sharp pang around her abdomen.

"Ah!" Connie yelped as she clutched her stomach, sitting back down onto the bed. "How long was I out?"

Diamond paused before answering her question. Connie noticed his expression and a look of concern grew across her face.

"...A month."

Connie's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. She looked around once more and then back at Diamond.

"No….NO!" Connie exclaimed, making an x shape with her arms. "This is another dream, isn't it?"

She looked to Diamond with a concerned smile, but as she looked at him, her smile faded.

"Wait! I know!" Connie said to Diamond as she began to unzip her jumpsuit. "I didn't have my Gem in the last dream, so if I it's not there, then it's a dr-"

At that moment, as Connie looked at the stomach, she noticed two things. The first was that she had her Gem, but it was opaque and dull. However, the second observation was the one that rattled her the most. Below her Gem, a large scar went across the base of her stomach. It looked as if it was to remove something…or to remove two things.

Connie looked up to Diamond, her mouth agape, her face pale, and the lights in her eyes gone.

"Connie…" Diamond said as he reached for her. "Before you do anythi-"

"YOU BASTARD!" Connie shrieked as she tackled the Gemian. Connie then began punching Diamond until she ran out of breath, proceeding to collapse on the Gemian and began to sob.

"Connie, your children are alive." Diamond said to Connie, causing the young girl to look up to him.

"There alive?" Connie asked with a sniffle as she got off Diamond. "Then where are they?"

Diamond hesitated again before he noticed Connie's face turn red. Diamond then sighed and replied to the Gem.

"They are with Tiberium." Diamond answered softly. "They are his servants."

Connie sat back as she placed a hand on her head. Shocked with disbelief at what she was hearing. She could feel her throat choke up and her eyes well with tears. Three times now has she lost her children, now knowing that she will have to fight, if not, kill them.

"Who is Tiberium?" asked Connie as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"A Gemian." Replied Diamond. "He attacked the Crystal Gems ages ago with the Metalian army. Now he has returned and has a larger army. Along with Obsidian.

Connie sat up a little as she looked to Diamond with shock. "That's impossible, we killed him! I stabbed him in the heart! You where there! HOW IS HE ALIVE?"

Diamond sighed as he fidgeted with his hands. "Because we did not kill the seed."

"The seed?" Connie asked. "What seed? There was no seed!"

Diamond sat up and opened his jumpsuit, showing Connie a circular scar over his right pectoral. "When I conquered the Temple, I planted the seed of Obsidian into the base of the Crystal Heart. The seed is the vital incubus of a Leviathan. Once Tiberium plants it into a new source of Vitae, it will grow into Obsidian.

"Then we have to leave!" Connie said as she stood up. "We need to escape this bunker and find the others. Come on! There is not much time before…"

Connie stopped as she looked back to Diamond, suddenly, the suits, room, and appliances all started to click in her head. She then looked back to Diamond with a worried look in her eyes.

"Diamond, where the hell are we?"

"Connie, we are not in a bunker." Diamond replied softly. "In fact…we are not on earth."

"Then where are we?" Connie asked, although she did not want to know the answer.

Diamond then stood up and guided Connie to the doorway of the cell. As she looked outside, she felt her stomach drop and her mouth dry up.

She could see countless cells as far as the eye could see. She saw what looked like Agates patrolling the hallways of the cells. She also heard the sound of screams, shouts, grunts and other noises. Some of them were apparently threats and conversations, but they were mainly in languages she could not understand.

"Wha…whe…Where the hell a-are w-we?" Connie whispered.

Diamond could feel the Gem tremble as he felt his heart sink.

"This is the Gem colony Insidiae..." Diamond replied sadly. "...and we are light years away from Earth."

Connie stepped back until she had her back to the wall. She then curled up into a ball and began to cry softly.

"Why couldn't you have killed me?" Connie whimpered softly. "I should have died…I …I just want to die…I…can't…"

Diamond approached the Gem and crouch down beside her, placing a hand on Connie's shoulder. The young girl then leapt out and clung to the Gemian, sobbing loudly as she buried her head into his chest. Diamond then wrapped his arms around the girl; tears began to trickle down from the Old King's face.

"Do not fear, Connie." Diamond whispered as he cradled her. "You saved me, so I will save you..."

"…somehow…I will...somehow..."

As he held the weeping gem in his arms, he looked out the doorway, with the understanding that their troubles were far from over…

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


End file.
